Consequences
by YouHaveLovelyHair
Summary: A face from the past brings far-reaching consequences for Jess and Becker. Set after 5.4 but before 5.5. Spoilers for 5.4 . Lots of Jecker. First Primeval fanfic so please be nice! Ch.22 is now abridged back to T rating.
1. Chapter 1 In the Car Park

**Disclaimer: don't own anything to do with Primeval, except a love of the show and these words...**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER ONE - IN THE CAR PARK<strong>

Jess was making coffee. It was a quiet day at the ARC for a change. Connor was over at Prospero, trying to keep a discreet eye on Philip. Jess had to smile when she used the words "Connor" and "discreet" in the same sentence (even in her head). Abby was somewhere in the menagerie, feeding her pre-historic creatures. Matt was in his office, studying computer reports and plotting against Philip, no doubt. Emily was at Matt's flat having an enforced "Adjustment to the 21st Century" day, which she detested but Lester insisted upon. And Becker? Jess smiled again as she thought about their Head of Security. Becker was in the armoury cleaning his beloved guns.

Jess folded her arms across her chest as her mental cataloguing of everyone concluded with Captain Becker and she allowed herself to think about him more freely. Their relationship had been strained since her near-death experience with the beetles. After his attentiveness during her anaphylactic shock, she had hoped their relationship would move forward. She hadn't expected him to declare his undying love for her, but she had hoped for something more. Instead, he was uptight, angry and over-protective. And when he wasn't, he avoided her, spending most of his time in the armoury. Worst of all, he had stopped bringing her chocolate…

Jess sighed, the coffee pot was full and she absently poured herself a mug. She didn't remember too much about the "Beetle Incident", as it was now referred to. She'd had second hand snippets from Abby and Emily regarding Becker's behaviour and this had allowed her to get her hopes up. Only for him to crush them again, just like a beetle, under his size 12 army boots. She smiled wryly at her analogy as she clicked in her heels back towards the ADD. She remembered Abby's briefly encouraging words:

" He's always been very private, particularly about his feelings. The beetle incident hung those feelings out to dry for everyone to see - and he's not ready to deal with that yet. Basically, he's hiding…"

Her memories were interrupted by the claxon blaring and the ADD bathing the Ops Room in a bright red glow. Startled, Jess almost spilt her coffee as she raced, heels clacking, across the room to the ADD. Sliding easily into her chair, she tapped on the computer, the screen flickering immediately with information.

"Right everyone, listen up!" she announced, her voice all clipped and efficient. "We have an anomaly alert. Just retrieving the co-ordinates now."

Becker and Matt both appeared in the Ops Room together. In a move that would have won them a starring role in a circus, Becker threw Matt an EMD with one hand and caught the Black Box simultaneously thrown to him by Matt in the other. The men nodded to each other before Matt turned his attention to Jess.

"Where is it Jess?" he asked sharply.

"Hang on," Jess tapped a few keys rapidly, aware of the attention on her. "OK, receiving co-ordinates now…..oh!" She paused, unable to hide the surprise in her voice.

"Where is it Jess?" interjected Becker, impatiently. She turned to stare at him, her blue eyes wide and a little fearful.

"Its here, in the car park," she told them.

Becker and Matt exchanged a look, then began to move towards the exit. Becker stopped momentarily and looked back at Jess.

"Stay here!" he commanded. "Bring up the CCTV in the car park and tell us what you see."

"OK," Jess turned back to the ADD, glad to have something to occupy her other than the fear that was beginning to creep its way into the pit of her stomach. She had a job to do - she was not going to freak out just because the anomaly was in the ARC car park. Tapping on her keys, she easily brought up the CCTV in the relevant part of the car park.

"Dammit!" she muttered to herself, forgetting that even the quietest words were often amplified over the Comms.

"What is it, Jess?" came Becker's clipped response.

Startled, Jess automatically told the truth.

"The CCTV has a blind spot in this part of the car park. I can't see the anomaly, so I can't see if anything has come through it. Sorry." She bit her lip anxiously as she heard Becker sigh in her earpiece.

Matt glanced over at Becker with a raised eyebrow. "Sounds like some security stuff needs doing, mate," he said dryly.

"Very funny," grumbled Becker.

Moving cautiously between the pillars of the underground car park, exchanging a series of looks as they went, Matt and Becker edged closer to the flickering light of the anomaly. Un-slinging the holdall from his shoulder, Becker knelt and unpacked the locking mechanism.

"Lock the anomaly, I'll check for an incursion," instructed Matt.

"Guys, what's happening? I can't see you!" Jess's voice had a slight tremor in it.

Her nervousness was steadied by Becker's calm, low voice in her ear.

"Jess, we've found and locked the anomaly. No sign of an incursion."

She audibly let out the breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Send someone down with a camera, Jess, to splice into the CCTV feed. I'd like to keep an eye on this one until it closes," Becker's concern was obvious in his tone.

"Already on his way down," Jess was now back in business, any fears quelled, as always, by Becker's calm and confident manner.

Matt and Becker remained with the anomaly until the new CCTV feed was in place and Jess confirmed she was monitoring it. As they left the car park, much more jovially than they had arrived, they failed to notice they were being watched from the shadows beyond the reach of the CCTV…


	2. Chapter 2 In the ARC

**I don't own anything (but wish I did)!**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER TWO - IN THE ARC<strong>

They arrived back in the Ops Room moments later. Matt walked straight to the ADD to check the CCTV feed and Becker muttered something about needing to store the EMDs properly and disappeared to the armoury, much to Jess's disappointment.

"Give him more time, he'll get there," murmured Matt, seeing the look on Jess's face.

She smiled gratefully at him but inside she was seething. How could everyone else know (and comment!) on her love life when the man in question wouldn't let her have one!

Sensing her annoyance, Matt excused himself, claiming he now had another report to write.

And so Jess was alone again. She didn't mind being alone. She often was when the team were out in the field. But then she had their voices in her head, reminding her that she was never totally alone. Otherwise, she had Lester glaring at her through the glass walls of his office. Or shouting at her for another cup of coffee as if she were the tea lady! But he was at Whitehall today and Jess found she missed him. It was better than admitting what she missed most - Captain Becker hanging round the ADD pretending he had something to do, or some information to run by her. Or simply bringing her chocolate after being out in the field. Damn those beetles and damn her allergy! Her relationship with Becker hadn't been much more than inconsequential flirting, but at least it had been something. Anything was better than the nothing they had now.

Becker sat in the armoury, bloody annoyed with himself quite frankly. He could face down dinosaurs without a second thought, but something about a small, red-headed girl completely disarmed him. It wasn't as if nobody knew how he felt about her. After the beetle incident, it was as plain as day. He'd nailed his feelings to the sticking post for all to see. Abby knew, Matt knew, Emily knew - even Connor had picked up an inclination that this girl was more important to Becker than the rest of them. So why, oh why, was it so difficult for him to confront it? To tell her?

He kept arguing with himself that he didn't want to ruin the friendship they already had. But the nagging voice in the back of his head reminded him that this was a lie. By shutting her out, by hiding in the armoury, by not doing all the little things like leaving her chocolate or teasing her about her heels, he was already damaging their friendship; perhaps beyond repair.

He sighed. He was being mean. She'd told him he was mean and now he was proving her right.

"She also told you, you had lovely hair," the nagging little voice in the back of his head piped up, making him smile involuntarily at the memory. Hell, he wanted the feel of her in his arms again - more than anything! Dammit, where was his courage when he needed it! He slammed his fist into the metal gun cabinet in frustration, the clank of bone against metal reverberating around the armoury.

Frowning and setting his lips into a thin, tight line, Becker resolved to go to the Ops Room and attempt to be nice to Jess. He stalked out of the armoury, slamming the door behind him.

He charged into the Ops Room with more force than he had intended. Jess spun round in her chair at his noisy entrance, then turned her attention back to the ADD rapidly as she perceived the angry look on his face.

"Great," she thought, "he's angry at me again. Just what I need." Her mouth turned down at the corners and she sighed miserably.

Becker stopped short in the middle of the room, taking in Jess's reaction to his entrance.

"Idiot!" he chastised himself. "She thinks your mad at her again and no wonder with all the stomping about!"

He sat down miserably at his desk and fiddled absently with the partially dismantled EMD that lay upon it.

Jess eyed him from the ADD. He looked slumped and defeated, no longer angry. She decided to risk asking if he wanted a coffee.

"Hey!" she singsong. Becker looked up as her colourful form appeared in front of him. He didn't reply, he had no words.

She, on the other hand, took his silence as annoyance but ploughed on regardless with a tremor in her voice.

"I just wondered if you wanted a coffee," she babbled, her smile bright, if ever so slightly forced.

He stared at her, so beautiful, so giving still, despite his recent behaviour, and words failed him again.

"I want you, I want you…" the little voice in his head screamed. But when he finally spoke, it came out all wrong.

"No, Jessica, I don't want a bloody coffee," his voice was harsh and cruel as his frustration with himself increased.

Jess held her hands up as if to ward off his attack, "I'm sorry," she whispered. "Just thought I'd ask."

She scuttled off to the staff Rec Area as quickly as her heels would carry her, tears brimming in her big blue eyes.

Becker groaned audibly with frustration and banged his head on his desk. "Go and put this right!" cried the little voice in his head. Becker vowed, one day he would EMD the little bugger. However, pushing his chair back, Becker stood with renewed determination and followed Jess to the Rec Area.

He stood, leaning against the wall, watching Jess busy herself with the coffee pot. He cleared his throat softly so she would know he was there. He startled her anyway and saw her wipe her hand across her face before she turned toward him. Wait - was she crying? The thought of him having made Jess cry was unbearable.

Jess acknowledged him with the tiniest of smiles.

"You change your mind?" she asked softly.

He nodded mutely, but moved further into the Rec Area. He had to find his voice, he just had to!

"Jess, I want to apologise…" he began and then faltered as she looked up at him.

He sucked in a deep breath and continued.

"I'm sorry for what I said a moment ago and I'm sorry for my behaviour over the last few weeks."

He audibly released the breath - there, he'd said it!

She stared at him for a long moment.

"What behaviour?" she asked innocently. "I hadn't noticed anything different."

He grimaced, she was determined not to make this easy for him and he supposed he deserved that.

"Jessica," he said, using her full name just to irritate her, "I know I've been a bit…" he paused uncertain of how to continue "…a bit at odds with you over the past few weeks and I'm trying to apologise." He rubbed his hand over his chin, unsure of himself.

Jess nodded in understanding. "Oh," she said. "You mean when you've been rude, aggressive, grumpy and arrogant? Not to mention hiding in the armoury just so you don't have to talk to me?"

Her direct, pointed look shamed him.

"Dammit," he thought angrily. She'd noticed his behaviour and the reasons for it - or had it pointed out to her by Abby and Emily.

He sighed, his voice and expression softening.

"Jess, I've been an arse, and I'm sorry," he said sincerely, his brows pulled together over his hazel eyes.

She made him wait a second or two for her response. Then she turned back to the coffee pot, poured two mugs and handed one to Becker.

"Apology accepted," she said, smiling. "Now, drink your bloody coffee," echoing his earlier words, before breezing past him back to the Ops Room.

Becker stood, stunned, staring at his coffee. A burning sensation at the tips of his fingers brought him back to reality.

"Ow!" he complained as he switched his grip on the mug to the handle to avoid a trip to the Medical bay.

He wandered slowly back to the Ops Room, wondering how on earth Jess could forgive him so easily. He shook his head in disbelief, placing his coffee on his desk and watching her handing over her work to the Relief Field Co-ordinator before she went home for the day.

What a wonderful, amazing, giving woman. And he almost let her go. And for what? Fear? Arrogance? Sheer bloody-mindedness? Yep, definitely the last one. He shook his head at himself. His attention was drawn back to Jess when he saw her hesitate, staring at the ADD. He closed the distance between them until he could see what she was staring at, an uncertain expression creasing her face. It was the anomaly in the car park. It was still closed with no sign of an incursion, but its very existence had clearly spooked her.

"Jess," he murmured, making her jump. She turned her eyes on him, almost stopping him from forming a coherent sentence again. He cleared his throat and composed himself. "Would you like me to walk you to your car?" he asked carefully.

She half laughed. "Its silly. I don't want to be any trouble."

He smiled to reassure her. "Its no trouble at all, Jessica," and he waved his arm towards the exit, indicating that she should go first and he would follow…

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><p><strong>AN So, what do you think? R&R please lovely lovely people! Can you guess what happens next?  
><strong>


	3. Chapter 3 In the Lift

**A/N Thanks for the reviews! Sorry the last chapter was all in bold - it was how it uploaded and I didn't know how to change it (I'm such a techie retard!). Figured it out now though. Oh, and sorry this chapter is so short! As usual, don't own anything on Primeval (but oh to own Ben Mansfield...) lol  
><strong>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER THREE - IN THE LIFT<strong>

They walked to the lift in companionable silence. Inside the lift, their proximity was so close and uncomfortable Becker felt compelled to say something.

"Jessica," he began.

"Becker," she returned lightly, looking up at him curiously.

"Abby and Matt are right," he said cryptically.

She frowned. "Right about what?"

He looked down at her, his hazel eyes intense and unwavering. "Me," he stated simply.

Her frown deepened and she shook her head uncomprehendingly . He sighed heavily. Damn it, she was going to make him use the "F" word.

"About how I …" he faltered. "How I feel - about you." Hell, he really hated feelings!

She smiled, eyes sparkling. "Really?" Her tone was disbelieving and he knew she was making fun of him.

"The thing is Jess…" he paused again and unconsciously reached for her hand.

The unexpected touch burned them both but Jess gripped his hand in hers to prevent him from pulling it away again.

"The thing is?" she prompted softly.

He stared down at their clasped hands.

"I - uh - have to get my head around it first," he finished and she thought she had never seen him so unsure of himself. He sighed. He couldn't believe how lame that sounded!

She squeezed his hand.

"And when you've got your head around it?" she asked gently.

"Then - I'm yours," he promised, so quietly she almost missed it.

It took three words (and not even THOSE three words!) to get Jess's heart doing laps around her chest. "Then I'm yours" he'd said. YES! YES! YES! She wanted to leap into his arms, to hug him, to kiss him, to dance around the lift with delight. But Jess did none of these things. She simply squeezed his hand again and made a promise of her own.

"Then I'll wait," she told him confidently, her eyes shining up at him.

He returned her smile with his own, less confident one, marvelling at the woman before him.

"Jess, you really are truly amazing."

"Yes, I am!" she announced petulantly, bringing beaming smiles to both of them.

The lift shuddered to a stop at the underground car park and the doors opened. Becker gestured "ladies first" but Jess refused to let go of his hand, now that she had it, and pulled him reluctantly out of the lift with her. She giggled as he gave her his best look of forbearance and he couldn't resist rewarding her with a genuine smile, her favourite one, dimpling his cheek.

They made their way across the gloomy expanse of the underground car park, all worries about the anomaly now forgotten. Jess's heels clattered noisily on the concrete, echoing round the structure.

Becker was distracted, but not distracted enough to miss the small movement at the edge of his peripheral vision. Instantly he was on the alert, pulling Jess back towards him and reaching behind him to touch the handgrip of the EMD he always carried in the waistband of his combats.

Jess tensed, aware of the change in his mood. "What's up?" she mouthed.

"I just have the feeling we're being watch-ed," he elongated the word "watched", giving himself time to withdraw the EMD and point it purposefully at one of the concrete pillars to his left. In the same movement he pulled Jess behind him and held her against his back with his other arm. Jess held her breath.

The sound of someone slowly clapping reverberated round the car park. And a voice from the past echoed out of the darkness.

"Well, its about time Captain Becker. I thought you'd never notice."

Becker stiffened and hissed one word "Ethan!"

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><p>AN Did you see that one coming? LOL


	4. Chapter 4 Deja Vu

**Don't own Primeval, only the stories in my head...**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER FOUR - DÉJÀ VU<strong>

Jess gasped as the short bearded man stepped slowly, deliberately out of the shadows with a conventional firearm trained on them.

"Drop the gun Becker. We both know you're not going to shoot me," Ethan taunted, his face contorted into a mocking sneer.

"Drop yours first!" countered Becker, though he already knew the game was lost.

Ethan changed tack, turning his attention beyond Becker.

"Ah, the lovely Miss Parker. Don't hide her away, Becker. Bring her out!"

Becker hesitated and Ethan became angry.

"Captain Becker," he spat "I have a gun trained at your head. I won't miss. What do you think will happen to Miss Parker if you allow yourself to be killed? Particularly if I choose to drag her through there?"

He inclined his head towards the closed anomaly.

Jess touched Becker's shoulder gently. "Its OK Becker," she told him as she moved out to stand by his side.

Becker shifted slightly so that he was still between Ethan and Jess, even if she was more visible.

Ethan smirked. "I was sorry when I heard I hadn't killed you last time. But now I've just realised how much fun the second time will be."

Becker frowned. "How did you find out you hadn't killed me?"

"Danny told me," Ethan paused for dramatic effect. "Just before I killed him."

"What?" Becker's composure was momentarily jolted. Jess put her hand on his arm to steady him.

"Put your weapon down, Captain Becker," Ethan repeated flatly. "Before I change my mind and shoot the lovely Miss Parker."

Something about the way he said her name made Jess shiver. Becker held up his hands and then carefully lowered the EMD to the ground.

"Its down," he murmured. "Its down."

His mind was racing. He couldn't believe that here he was again in exactly the same situation, doing exactly the same thing, leaving himself defenceless. He knew somehow that this was going to end the same way as before too - only now Ethan had a conventional firearm loaded, presumably, with real bullets. He had to protect Jess, that was all that mattered.

Drawing himself back up to his full height, he placed his arms out in front, firstly to try and placate Ethan, but also to serve as a shield for Jess.

Ethan smiled. "Take your Comms out, both of you, and throw them over here."

Becker glanced at Jess, nodded and then they both complied.

"And your tracking device, Becker. I assume you have one on you."

Angrily Becker pulled his Black Box from his waistband and threw it as Ethan.

"Temper, temper," the short man mocked. "That's the kind of behaviour that will get you - or Miss Parker - killed."

Becker tensed. "What do you want, Ethan?"

The smaller man grinned sardonically. "To finish what I started. I'm bored of this life now, have been since I killed Danny. Its time to end my life too. Just need to tie up a few loose ends. You're the one who got away - so I've come to take you out first."

Becker swallowed, his throat dry. He felt Jess grip his arm tightly.

"Then let Miss Parker go. If its me you want, you don't need her."

Ethan's grin widened. "But where would be the fun in that?"

Jess heard herself utter a small, frightened sound that was immediately drowned out by Ethan's laughter.

Ethan began waving the gun to and fro, from Becker to Jess and back to Becker again.

"Hmmm," he mused. "Which one to kill first?"

Becker tensed, ready to leap at Ethan before he fired.

"Stand down Becker!" ordered Ethan. "I only want to kill you."

"Then lets get this over with!" challenged Becker.

"No!" Jess gasped, putting a restraining hand on his arm.

Unfortunately, she brought Ethan's attention back to herself. Ethan's eyes glinted and then everything happened in split second…

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><p>So, what will happen next? Will Becker be a hero? Sorry its so short again - I just love my cliffhangers! (Its kind of a Primeval tradition isn't it!)<p> 


	5. Chapter 5 Man Down

**OK, so did anyone notice I killed off Danny in the last chapter! I thought I was going to get lots of you telling me off for that! LOL. But, hey, this is Primeval - maybe he's not really dead! I must also apologise if I have put too much melodrama into this chapter - its me screaming really... :-(  
><strong>

**CHAPTER FIVE - MAN DOWN**

Jess missed the slight change in his stance but Becker didn't. He knew from that small movement of his feet that Ethan was now aiming at Jess. In that same fraction of a second, Becker moved and the gun fired.

Jess screamed as Becker twisted towards her and pushed her over onto the hard concrete. She heard the gun fire and Becker grunt as his body crashed on top of hers. She cried out as her legs were crushed under his weight.

For a brief moment Ethan stood over them, smiling.

"Job done," he murmured as he nudged Becker with his foot. "See you, lovely Miss Parker!"

He raised the gun again and Jess screamed in fear and shut her eyes. She heard the gun bellow again and something smack onto the concrete with a thud and a sickening wet sound.

Opening her eyes, she realised she was still alive. She pushed herself up as far as she could with Becker's weight still on her legs. The sight she saw made her heave. Ethan had blown his own brains out. Skull and blood and gore were spread across the car park about three feet from where she lay.

She tried to get up, but then realised that Becker still lay on her legs, unmoving.

"Becker?" she queried. "Becker?" louder this time. "Becker!" she screamed. Still he did not move.

Terrified now, Jess wiggled her legs until they were free of Becker, losing her heels in the process. On her hands and knees she crawled to Becker and pushed him over onto his back.

"Becker!" she shouted, her panic rising. Then she saw it, a red pool growing steadily on the concrete.

"Becker! NO! NO! NO!" she pulled at his Kevlar vest, his clothes, looking for damage. And there it was, just under his arm, where the Kevlar stopped to allow for movement. Blood, Becker's blood, was seeping from the wound. In panic, Jess screamed at him, shook him and finally punched him in the face in an attempt to illicit a response from him. Becker's eyes flickered open momentarily and he smiled at her. Then his eyes closed again and his body went limp.

"NO!" screamed Jess. She reached for her earpiece to call for help before realising, of course, it was no longer there.

"Comms, I need Comms," she muttered as she scrabbled around the concrete for their discarded earpieces. Finally she found one, close to the body that had once been Ethan.

Clumsily she thrust the earpiece in and jabbered into it, her words running over each other in her distress.

"Matt, Abby, Connor, anyone! Please! I need help! Becker's down, he's bleeding all over the place! Its really bad. Matt, Abby, Connor, please! I need help now!"

She was crying and she knew it was hard to decipher her words but she kept gabbling over and over.

Matt's voice cut in over her Comms.

"Say again, Jess - what's happened?"

"Matt!" Jess almost shrieked with relief. "Becker's been shot. He's bleeding, oh God, there's so much blood! Get medics! Get help now!"

"Where are you Jess?" Matt barked.

"In the car park - by the anomaly."

"Right. We're on our way down. Put pressure on the wound Jess. We'll be right there." He tried his best to sound reassuring.

Jess scrambled back over to Becker. She pressed her hands hard against his wound, calling his name over and over. He looked so pale and there was so much blood.

She heard a commotion behind her.

"Here Matt - we're here!" she called.

She felt Matt arrive at her side and place his hand on her shoulder. She lifted her gaze to his and he stared into her frightened blue eyes.

"I've lost him, Matt," she whispered. "I've lost him."

"Now we don't know that," Matt told her, his Irish accent caressing the words. He pulled her away from Becker's inert form as the ARC medics arrived.

"Let the medics do their job - Becker's a stubborn man, he'll pull through." He steered her away before turning back to the medics, eyebrows raised as if challenging them to call him a liar. One of the medics shrugged. It was not looking good.

He turned back to Jess as she began to sink to her knees a few feet away. She stared down at herself, at her skirt, at her shirt and then holding up her hands. All were drenched in blood. His blood. Becker's blood. And Jess began to scream. And scream. And scream…

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><p><strong>Of course he was the hero - he couldn't possibly have done anything else, bless him xxx<strong>


	6. Chapter 6 In the Medical Bay

**Sorry about the Becker-whumping! He just does injured sooo well! Sorry for any dodgy medical stuff in this and the next few chapters - I have no medical training and am sure my brain is just conjuring up old episodes of ER! And apologies also for lots of Becker blood - I'm obsessed, I know...**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER SIX - IN THE MEDICAL BAY<strong>

Abby and Connor met each other in the car park and arrived on the scene to the sound of Jess's screams. Having heard all on the Comms they responded quickly to Matt's orders.

"Get her up to the Medical Bay, now!"

Connor scooped the now whimpering Jess up into his arms, but she barely noticed as Abby escorted them both back upstairs to the ARC.

Matt returned to Becker, expecting to find the medic pronouncing him dead at the scene. Instead, he interrupted an argument between the two medics.

"Its too risky, mate. We need to get him upstairs!" one hissed.

"There's not enough time. We need to operate now!" insisted the second, a badge on his lapel indicating he was actually a trained doctor, not just a paramedic. Many of the ARC's medics were ex-Military doctors used to working in combat conditions.

"Have you any field surgery training?" demanded Matt, without inquiring what kind of surgery was needed.

"Yes sir," responded the medic.

"So do I," advised Matt. "You OK if I assist?"

The medic nodded.

"OK then, lets do this," decided Matt as he shrugged out of his leather jacket. 

Abby pushed open the doors to the ARC Medical Bay and held them open for Connor, still carrying the now silent Jess. Medical staff immediately swarmed around them.

"She's OK," Abby told them. "We just need to get her cleaned up."

Looking at the blood, the medics nodded their understanding and ferreted Jess away behind closed curtains. There was nothing for Abby and Connor to do but wait.

"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Lester's dry voice announced his arrival in the Medical Bay.

"Abby? Connor?" he queried. His voice softened as he took in the distraught look on Abby's face. "What's happened?" he asked quietly.

"Becker's been shot," Abby explained in a shaky voice. "Jess was with him - she's covered in his blood."

A jolt of horror registered on Lester's usually impassive face.

"How is Becker?"

"We don't know," continued Abby. "But Matt is with him and a couple of medics."

Lester put his hand briefly on her shoulder - a great display of affection from the civil servant.

"Where did this happen?" he asked gently.

"Right here - in the underground car park," replied Connor, speaking for the first time. "Unbelievable."

Lester nodded in Jess's direction.

"Look after her," he ordered Connor and Abby. "I'm going downstairs."

He strode out of the Medical Bay towards the lift down to the car park. Before he reached it, the lift doors opened and a bloodied Matt lurched out, holding an IV bag in his hand. Behind him, two tired and bloodied medics hefted a field stretcher on which lay a motionless and extremely pale Becker, also covered in blood. Lester didn't think he'd seen so much blood in his entire life.

"What?" he said wordlessly to Matt.

"Field surgery," Matt answered briskly. "We need to get him to ICU now."

Lester led the way, holding doors open as he went. They hurried past Abby and Connor, and Abby sobbed and covered her mouth with her hand as she saw the state of them. 

Once Matt was sure that Becker was hooked up to every machine imaginable, he backed out of the room into the corridor. Suddenly, exhaustion took him and he slid down the wall behind him, till his head was touching his knees. He closed his eyes and covered the back of his head with his hands. He and Becker had had a rocky start when Matt joined the ARC, but he had slowly grown a high level of respect for the younger man. Christ! He'd held that man's heart in his bare hands today! That thought jolted him out of his exhaustion. He snapped upright and looked down at his bloodied clothes and hands - hands that had massaged Becker's heart right inside his chest when they had lost him back down in the car park. Matt shuddered at the memory.

He suddenly became aware of Abby and Connor loitering uncertainly to his left. He looked over at them and managed a brief smile.

"He's alive," he murmured. "For now at least."

Abby reached out and squeezed his arm. Matt nodded in acknowledgement.

"I need a shower and some clean clothes." he told her. "You two OK to wait here with Jess?"

Abby nodded and squeezed his arm again as he moved past her.

"Matt," she called to his retreating back. "Go home - find Emily. Tell her what's happened!"

Matt waved his hand in the air so she knew he had heard her but didn't turn around or slow his pace. He had to get out of there!

Connor pulled Abby into his arms and she gratefully buried her head in his chest.

Matt stood in the shower, his hands pressed up against the tiled wall to keep him steady, watching the blood - Becker's blood - running into the drain. He still wasn't sure he could grasp the enormity of what had happened today. A wave of nausea flowed over him and his gritted his teeth, vowing he would not be sick. He closed his eyes, trying to banish the sight of the blood and heard Abby's voice in his head.

"Matt - go home. Find Emily."

He lifted his head and pushed his hands back off the tiles. Yep, Emily. That's who he needed right now. He would go home to Emily.

He shut off the water, towelled dry rapidly and threw on the change of clothes he always kept in his locker. He was at his car in minutes, tyres screeching out of the car park. 

Connor and Abby remained in the corridor to the Medical Bay, sitting on chairs but still holding onto one another. Jess had been sedated within minutes of being brought in and the medics advised she would be asleep for a while yet. Lester was in the ICU with Becker, presumably getting a detailed prognosis from the doctor. There was nothing Abby and Connor could do but wait, something Abby was not particularly good at. Both of them started as Lester suddenly emerged from the ICU. His stern eyes became slightly softer as he looked at their anxious faces.

"He's on machines," he told them, indicating the room behind him with his head. "He's alive for the moment. There's still hope."

Abby gripped Connor's hand so hard he winced. Lester cleared his throat.

"Well, I'd better go and brief the Minister. There will be a hell of a lot of paperwork because of this." he grumbled.

He nodded to Abby and Connor before leaving. Both knew that "paperwork" was Lester's way of covering up his more sentimental feelings.

Sighing, Abby patted Connor's hand.

"I'm going to check on Jess," she murmured and disappeared behind the curtains surrounding Jess's bed.

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><p><strong>Please review - Chapter 7 is on its way! :-)<strong>


	7. Chapter 7 In the ICU

**Thanks for your reviews - it really helps! Sorry about the rubbish Conby stuff - I've decided I'm a bit crap at writing Conby (note to self - must do better!). Also, apologies again for any medical inconsistencies in this chapter - I really have no idea what I'm talking about quite frankly! :-)**

**As always, I own nothing unfortunately!  
><strong>

**CHAPTER SEVEN - IN THE ICU**

Jess lay peacefully in her bed. The medics had cleaned her hands and face of blood and taken her clothes away to be cleaned too. She was now dressed only in a hospital gown and a blanket. As Abby pulled up a chair and sat down, Jess stirred. She moved her head and groaned softly.  
>Abby stood and moved closer to Jess's bed, touching her hand.<br>"Hey, hey," she murmured softly. "Welcome back."  
>Jess stared at her groggily, blinking rapidly, trying to clear her head. For a moment she smiled at Abby, then the memories of past events tumbled back into her consciousness making her eyes wet and her breathing ragged.<br>"Becker?" she gasped trying to sit up.  
>Abby put a restraining hand on her shoulder, and Jess didn't have the strength to fight her. She lay back down and waited for Abby to speak.<br>"He's here, in the ICU. He's not - great," she said and winced inwardly as she saw the fear on Jess's face. "But he's alive and he's fighting." She tried to reassure Jess with a smile.  
>It didn't work.<br>"Can - can I see him?" Jess asked in a very small voice.  
>"I'll go ask, shall I?" Abby was grateful to have something to do. "Stay here - and try not to worry." Daft thing to say, she chastised herself as she left to look for a doctor.<p>

As soon as Abby left, Jess decided she couldn't just lie there and wait. The doctor would tell her no, she couldn't see him, for whatever reason and she couldn't bear that. She had to see him! Slowly, she pushed herself up onto her elbows and then even more carefully upright. She fought a wave of nausea and giddiness and won - just. She smiled grimly as she gripped the cot bedrail and swung her legs out until she was sitting with them dangling over the side. Then she caught sight of her toes and allowed herself a genuine smile, glad that she had taken the time to paint her toenails that morning. They were bold orange with little green polka dots. She wondered briefly if Becker would like her toes, then shook her head at her stupidity and wiggled her toes just to make sure they still worked. Slowly, gingerly, she placed first her toes and then her heels on the cold, hard metal floor. Steadying herself with the bedrail, she let her legs take her weight, hoping to God they wouldn't fail her and Abby wouldn't find her in a heap on the floor. She felt wobbly, but secure enough in her strength to attempt movement. Her head was pounding and her limbs felt like lead - that must have been one hell of a sedative they'd given her, she mused. Slowly, she inched across towards the curtains, as quiet as a cat without her shoes, and peeked out.

Just across the corridor, with their backs to her, Abby and her doctor were deep in conversation. Obviously about her and she could tell by the way the doctor was shaking his head and speaking rapidly to Abby that he was denying her request. Closer to her position than Abby, still in the chair where his girlfriend had left him, was Connor. Jess was convinced he was going to notice her if she moved, but her fear for Becker had made her daring and she wiggled carefully between the curtains, out into the corridor. Connor didn't even look up and it was then that Jess spied the small laptop on his knees. The corners of Jess's mouth twitched - she could dance around naked and Connor wouldn't even notice, engrossed as he was in whatever he was working on.

She snuck quietly down the corridor, convinced that any second someone would hear her feet squeaking on the polished floor and she would feel a hand on her shoulder compelling her to go back to bed. But she reached the ICU doors without incident and opened them slowly, suddenly afraid of what she would find inside. She peered cautiously around the door. The room was relatively dark and very quiet. The only lights were from the glow of the numerous machines, the only sounds were those that the machines were emitting. In the middle of the room was a bed and a medic stood nearby, checking over what looked like hospital notes. The bed was occupied, the person in it covered by so many dressings and wires that she could really only identify his hair. Becker.

With a small gasp, she moved further into the room, drawing the attention of the medic. She froze as he looked at her.  
>"Its ok," he told her quietly. "Come in." He gestured to the large, soft armchair next to Becker's bed. "Sit down. I know all the wires and stuff look scary, but its helping, its keeping him alive." He nodded encouraging at her, obviously under the false impression that she had permission to be there. Well, she wasn't about to rectify that any time soon and so she walked more purposefully into the room and stood right next to the bed.<p>

She could barely see Becker. He was covered to his waist by a hospital blanket. His chest was shirtless, but covered by gauze and dressings. His face, so pale, so peaceful, was half covered by a ventilator mask. As she stared at him, Jess became aware of the only sounds in the room. There was a heart monitor that beeped slowly, oh too slowly, to the beat of his heart. There was another sound, a pumping sound, from a machine that Jess couldn't identify. But the worst sound of all was that of the ventilator, artificially inhaling and exhaling on Becker's behalf. The "shhhh" as it inhaled, the "haaaah" as it exhaled, and Becker's chest rising and falling with each artificial breath began to spook Jess. She reached out to touch him, placing her hand on his head, burying her fingers in his hair. A small smile played at her mouth as she recalled him teasing her. In her delirium during the beetle incident, she'd told him he had lovely hair and she had wanted to touch it. Becker had been getting lots of mileage out of that one. And here she was, touching his hair, finally. Feeling its softness beneath her fingertips. But his hair was damp and sticky as if he had been sweating and as she brushed the bit that was a little too long back off his forehead, his skin felt cold and clammy. She would give anything to be stroking his hair - but not this, please God, not this.

She must have wobbled slightly because the medic appeared behind her, having pulled the armchair closer to the bed so she could sit down and still be within touching distance of Becker. She pulled her hand and away and gratefully sank into it, reaching out her other hand to clasp it over Becker's. She recoiled slightly as she first touched his hand and then grasped it firmly.  
>"He's so cold!" she gasped to the medic.<br>"He lost a lot of blood. We're giving him a transfusion -" he indicated the machine across the bed from Jess, the one making the pumping noise that she had been unable to identify. The pump was attached to blood bags hanging from hooks above the machine and then to a tube which was alive with a reddish-brown liquid and attached to Becker at the inside of his elbow. "It takes a while," the medic continued. "But he'll warm up a bit once it's done," he promised her.  
>There was a sudden commotion outside the door. Jess recognised Abby's voice, a little panicked, calling her name. Connor's voice was trying to soothe her and reassure her that Jess would be all right, but Abby was having none of it. The ICU door banged open making Jess jump up in surprise.<br>"Jess! Thank God!" Abby rushed over and hugged her friend. Then she pulled away and looked at her sternly. "Don't do that to me - I leave you on your own for two minutes and you disappear on me!" She stopped her admonishment when she noticed Jess's crestfallen face.  
>"I don't think it was too difficult to work out where she'd gone, Abby," Connor said as he came up to Abby's side.<br>"Do you think you can take all this noise and commotion outside?" demanded the medic in his most authoritative voice. "Miss Parker is perfectly fine - and Captain Becker will not be helped by all this shouting."  
>Abby held her hands up. "Sorry, sorry," she whispered, trying to placate the angry medic. She looked back at Jess and briefly touched her arm. "You sure you're ok?"<br>Jess nodded quickly, unable to trust her voice.  
>Connor took hold of Abby's shoulders and escorted her to the door, dragging her reluctantly through it.<br>Jess turned her eyes on the medic. "Thank you," she whispered.  
>He nodded in acknowledgement before returning to his charts. Jess settled back down in her chair, thinking she didn't even know his name…<p> 


	8. Chapter 8 In the Ops Room

**A/N OK, this chapter is really long and I'm not entirely happy with it. I wanted to show the passage of time and also show that I hadn't forgotten about Connor, Abby, Matt & Emily and what they might do if one of their own was badly injured. It hasn't turned out as well as I would have liked, so please be nice to me. I would also like to hear your favourite Becker moments and why! As always, I own nothing and no-one (otherwise I would have Ben Mansfield safely kept in a box under my bed...) LOL**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER EIGHT - IN THE OPS ROOM<strong>

Abby and Connor had resumed their vigil on the chairs in the corridor outside the ICU. Abby was visibly shaken by her brief encounter through those doors. She thought she had never seen Becker looking so fragile. Despite everything they had been through and argued about, or perhaps because of it, Abby had a huge soft spot for the Captain. And her heart ached for her friend Jess. She knew how she would feel if it were Connor, knew how she had felt every time Connor had managed to get himself injured - which was pretty often and she had never got used to it.

Connor was concerned about Abby. She hated waiting, she was like a caged animal. He had no idea how to comfort her besides holding her in his arms and waiting with her. Luckily that seemed to be helping for the moment. Connor was also worried about Becker. He was like Connor's best friend, whether Becker liked it or not. Connor knew he drove Becker crazy at times, but he hoped the soldier considered him his friend too. And Jess? He wasn't quite sure why she was behaving as she was, perhaps it was just because she had been with Becker when he was shot. It couldn't be that she fancied him, could it? Nah, Connor shook his head in disbelief. Becker kept his distance from everyone, surely Jess knew that?

They were interrupted by the arrival of Matt and Emily in the Medical Bay.  
>"Any news?" asked Matt tersely.<br>Connor shook his head when Abby didn't respond. "No change," he added.  
>"Right, well, we can't sit around here all night. I suggest we go for a drink." Matt was in leadership mode, trying to avoid feeling anything.<br>Abby lifted her head. "No chance! I'm not leaving the ARC without knowing Becker's ok," she said ferociously.  
>Emily stepped forward and hugged her friend.<br>"Of course not," she murmured supportively. "None of us would. Matt and I have bought supplies. We're just going to set up camp in the Ops Room."  
>Connor's eyes lit up. "A camping trip?" he said enthusiastically.<br>Emily smiled, amused by Connor's ability to behave like a child under any circumstances.  
>"Hardly," said Matt. "Just drinks and some food to pass the time. We may be here awhile so we may as well be a bit more comfortable."<br>Matt ushered everyone out of the Medical Bay with help from Emily. Abby was still reluctant, but Emily linked arms with her and assured her that the medics would keep them informed of any changes in Becker's condition. They trooped into the Ops Room and stopped at the Rec Area, the place where Jess and Becker's drama had begun only a few hours earlier. Next to one of the sofas stood a large suitcase.  
>"Moving in?" Connor asked.<br>Matt managed a grin. "Emily likes to be prepared," he said, glancing at her affectionately.  
>Emily unzipped the suitcase and began emptying it onto the sofa. "I wasn't sure what we would need so -"<br>The sofa became hidden beneath blankets, biscuits, nachos, beer and wine. She even managed to produce a couple of pillows and a change of clothes each.  
>"Wow," murmured Abby. "You don't do things by halves, do you?"<br>Emily shrugged. "I didn't know how long we'd be here," she said softly and Matt dropped his hand to her shoulder and squeezed.

Meanwhile, Lester strode into the ICU. He glanced at Becker, then at Jess now fast asleep curled up in the armchair, and sighed. He turned his attention to the medic.  
>"Any change?" he asked, already knowing the answer as the medic shook his head.<br>"So what happens now?" he demanded curtly, his cutting voice disturbing Jess and she re-adjusted her position in the armchair.  
>The medic closed the distance between them so they could lower their voices.<br>"The next 24-48 hours will tell the tale, sir." he told Lester. "He should be showing signs of improvement by then. If not…" he left his words hanging for Lester to fill in the gaps.  
>Lester nodded his understanding, unwilling to voice the fear that came with "If not…"<br>He gestured his head towards the sleeping Jess.  
>"What about her?" he asked quietly.<br>The medic gazed at Jess for a moment and then murmured "She's best here for the next 24-48 hours. Perhaps it will assist in the healing process for both of them. After that, she'd be better back at work, sir."  
>"Fair enough," Lester understood that he was the one who would have to persuade her back to work if Becker was no better in 48 hours. It was not a challenge he relished.<p>

He half turned to leave, then spotted a blanket on a shelf against the wall. He retrieved it quickly and carefully, almost fatherly, wrapped it around Jess in her armchair. She didn't stir and with a curt nod to the medic, Lester turned on his heels and strode briskly from the room. Once outside, it occurred to him what the medic had said. "She's best here for the next 24-48 hours. Perhaps it will assist in the healing process for both of them." He smiled wryly. It really was the worst kept secret in the ARC - the only two people who didn't know how they felt about each other were Jess and Becker themselves. Lester shook his head and decided that if Becker pulled through this he would have to remind the younger man what was important and that he was very sure it wasn't guns and dinosaurs.

Back in the Ops Room, the rest of the team were seated on the sofas, drawing comfort from each other's company. The small table was now covered in the remnants of biscuits, chocolate and nachos. Empty beer and wine bottles also littered the small Rec Area. Whilst they drowned their sorrows, the team entertained each other with Becker anecdotes.  
>"Okay, first day we met him, we were late…" began Connor.<br>Abby nudged him hard in the ribs. "Only cos you wouldn't get out of bed!"  
>"Ow!" he exclaimed but he was grinning at his girlfriend. "Cutter introduced us to Becker. Told us he was there to protect us and we had to do what he said. I remember Becker smiled at that. Then Cutter added that we didn't have to if Cutter thought he was wrong!" Connor chuckled. "That was so Cutter - and Becker didn't like it one little bit…"<br>"I remember when Becker and I were chasing the Dracorex," continued Abby. "He so wanted to shoot it with his shotgun! I had to aim my tranquilizer gun at him to stop him." she smiled at the memory. "He was so mad at me that day! In the end, the Dracorex collapsed from its wound, knocking Becker into crates of strawberries. He lay there for ages just eating them!"  
>The image raised a chuckle from all of them.<p>

"My turn then," said Matt. "My favourite memory of Becker is of him flat on his back." He suddenly noticed the rest of the team with their eyebrows raised. "No, not like that!" he protested his innocence. "It was when the EMDs first came in. Becker kept calling them "tasers" and "toy guns". Then he challenged me to shoot him to prove they were an effective weapon. Jess accused us of acting like children, but I shot him anyway." He paused for effect and grinned. "Jess was not happy at all and Becker was flat on his back in the armoury in agony. But it proved a point - he uses them doesn't he?"  
>Emily shook her head in exasperation. "Jess was right - you two are a pair of children, Matt," she told him in her usual calm manner.<br>"What about you, Emily?" asked Abby. "I know you haven't known Becker long, but he must have driven you crazy about something by now!"  
>She smiled softly. "My best memory is something I am sure he won't want me to talk about."<br>That was enough invitation for Abby. She leant forward on her knees and stared intently at Emily.  
>"OK, milady, now spill!" she demanded, her blue eyes flashing.<br>Emily looked at Matt, slightly confused.  
>He held his hands up and leaned back on the sofa. "I'd like to hear this too," he said softly.<p>

Emily sighed, realising she had cornered herself, but she had consumed too much wine to stop now. "Please don't tell him I told you," she entreated.  
>They all nodded solemnly, but only Connor caught the evil glint in Abby's blue eyes and nudged her.<br>"OK," began Emily. "My best memory of Becker is how he was with Jess when she suffered her allergic reaction." Everyone, including Matt, sat forward attentively to this statement and Emily realised that poor Becker was never going to hear the end of it. "He was so gentle, so caring. I'd never seen that side of him - he's usually shouting at me. He took such tender care of her, then put himself at risk to get her adrenaline when we didn't even know it was safe. And then he ran away, I never understood why." She had got so caught up in her memory that she became startled to realise just how intently the rest of the team were listening.  
>Abby began to laugh and she and Connor shared a hi-five. Matt shook his head, smirking.<br>"Who knew Captain Becker was such a softie," he murmured.  
>"He's only been a softie since he met Jess," giggled Abby taking another swig from her bottle of beer. "He never used to buy chocolate for me after a mission!"<p>

"You remember when he took on that hoard of future predators all by himself?" asked Connor. "Now that was bad-ass!" His respect for the soldier was clear in his tone.  
>"Yeah," whispered Abby, suddenly quiet at the memory. She saw Emily's enquiring look and felt compelled to relate the story of Becker's heroism.<br>"We had gone through an anomaly to rescue my stupid little brother - long story!" she tried to breeze over how her brother had ended up through an anomaly. "We found ourselves in the future, with future predators and flying future insects that used humans as hosts for their young."  
>Emily shuddered and Matt put his arm protectively around her.<br>"Anyway, we were trying to rescue Jack and were cornered by all these predators. Becker drew them away from us single-handedly, taking them on with his shotgun. I'd never seen someone that brave. We never thought we'd see him again."  
>"We eventually got back to the anomaly, but it was closed. We were being chased by a future insect and thought it was over," continued Abby. "Then, out of nowhere…"<br>"Out of a car actually," cut in Connor grinning.  
>Abby rolled her eyes. "OK, out of a car then, a shotgun fired, killing the creature and Becker popped up out of the sunroof!"<br>She smiled at Emily, who was laughing in relief but her eyes were wet and sparkling, the tears threatening to spill over her cheeks.  
>"We'd never been so happy to see him!" laughed Connor. "I still have no idea how he made it."<br>"He really is the most reckless, courageous, bravest and yet softest man I've ever met," murmured Emily, quite astounded. She looked suddenly at Matt. "Except for you, of course…" she faltered.  
>"Of course," he agreed, but he was smiling.<p>

Lester interrupted their reverie. "What the hell is going on? A high school sleep-over?" he demanded.  
>"We reminiscing our best Becker moments, James," Matt answered, un-phased by the older man's disapproving tone. "Why don't you join us? Connor, get James a beer…"<br>"Well, maybe just for a moment…" Lester softened, taking the proffered bottle of beer from Connor and seating himself on the edge of the sofa, looking uncomfortable.  
>"So, tell us your favourite encounter with Captain Becker, James," Matt encouraged gently.<br>Lester took a swig of beer from the bottle - a gesture so incongruous with his Italian designer suit and stiff-upper-lip demeanour that it made Matt grin. Was Lester human after all?  
>"I don't have favourite moments with you people," he grumbled. "But I did enjoy him instigating the demise of Christine Johnson."<br>Connor and Abby snickered at the memory. "Go on," Matt encouraged.

"Whitehall machinations are complicated things - and Christine Johnson was the most complicated of all. She desperately wanted my job and Danny Quinn gave her the ammunition she needed. She took over control of the ARC and there was nothing I could do to prevent it." Lester's expression saddened as he relived his final walk out of the building that day. "She, however, made the mistake of keeping Becker on her staff. He recorded some rather derogatory remarks she made about the Minister and sent them to me." He smiled grimly then added softly, " I wouldn't be here now if it weren't for him, I don't think." Abby reached out and squeezed his arm. He stood up suddenly, embarrassed by his sharing moment. "He's a good man, Becker. Now, if you don't mind I think I shall go into my office and crack open the whisky."  
>He nodded to Matt and turned away in the direction of his office. He needed to keep his distance. It just wouldn't do to have the team thinking he actually cared about them.<p>

A few hours later, the ARC was silent. Lester had fallen asleep in his leather chair, a half drunk glass of whisky still in his hand. The rest of the team had crashed out on the sofas, heads resting on each others' shoulders, hands clasped, lost in beer and wine befuddled dreams…


	9. Chapter 9 He Lives!

**A/N Ok can you tell I'm struggling with this now? I'm sure you can see a big difference between the scenes I can see in my head and the ones I write because I feel I have too! I'm a bit crap at the slow stuff - and I got bored without Becker. He'll be back in a bit yaay! :-) Oh and I REALLY apologise for all the corny stuff going on in Becker's head - it a bit naff but hey, we all need a bit of naffness occasionally!  
><strong>

**As always, I don't own Primeval or the characters - otherwise it wouldn't be a kids programme and Becker would have his shirt off way more often! ;-D  
><strong>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER NINE - HE LIVES!<strong>

The next morning, the ARC team woke with sore heads and stiff limbs from their night of drinking and reminiscing. They showered in the ARC locker room and changed into the clothes Emily had brought for them the night before. Lester showed them no mercy and expected them all back at work as soon as they were ready.  
>"Dinosaurs don't chase themselves!" he bellowed across the Ops Room. "Chop chop!"<p>

He disappeared back into his office. During the night, Ethan's body had been removed and taken to the morgue of a nearby hospital. He now had to read a report about it and recommend either burial or cremation for the body as Ethan had no known next of kin. "Not in this epoch anyway," Lester mused. Frankly he'd be happy to fry the man after all the trouble he'd caused.

16 hours after the shooting, Jess woke in her armchair and coughed, her mouth dry. She sat up slowly, fingering with wonder the blanket that seemed to have magically covered her in the night, and the medic in the room turned around as she disturbed. Not the same medic as yesterday, she noted slightly disappointed, but this one seemed nice enough when he spoke to her.  
>"Morning, Miss Parker," he said quietly. "Water?" He held out a small plastic cup of water that he had obviously had waiting for her. She took it murmuring her thanks.<br>"Becker?" she asked when she had consumed the entire cup and was confident her voice was working properly. "Is he - ?"  
>"No change yet," the medic informed her. "But we've stopped transfusing him and his vitals are stable." He smiled at her worried face. "Those are good signs," he reassured her.<br>Jess nodded, slightly placated, and her stomach rumbled loudly. She realised she hadn't eaten since yesterday lunchtime.  
>The medic smiled again. "Breakfast will be along in a minute," he told her. "Just a little tea and toast, but it will make you feel much better."Jess nodded her thanks and turned her attention to Becker. She stood over his bed and placed her small hand over his larger one. He was definitely warmer than last night. She smoothed his hair with her other hand, drawing her fingertips over his brow. And he was definitely less clammy. Jess allowed herself a small smile. Maybe, just maybe…No, she mentally shook herself. There was too much that could still go wrong for her to dare to hope that he might be all right.<br>She bent over his still body and whispered into his ear. "Wake up Becker. I'm waiting for you to keep your promise…"  
>She was disturbed by the arrival of breakfast and a very welcome cup of tea.<p>

The hours ticked by with no discernable change in his condition…

29 hours after the shooting, Jess was asleep again in the armchair that was beginning to feel like home. Matt, Emily, Abby and Connor had been granted permission for a quick visit to the ICU, one at a time, just to check on Becker's status before they spent another uncomfortable night in the Rec Area. Matt had fielded the idea about going home, but Abby wouldn't hear of it. So they all decided to stay instead, much to Lester's chagrin.  
>They were waiting in the corridor for the medic to invite them in when Abby voiced the one question that had been bugging her since the very beginning.<br>"How did he get shot?" she demanded of no-one in particular. "I mean, he wears that damn vest for a reason, doesn't he? To prevent himself getting shot, stabbed or gored, right? So how did a bullet get through it?" Her voice rose as her irritation at being unable to answer her own question increased.  
>"I have a theory about that," Matt said quietly. All eyes turned to him.<br>"Jess was with him. Becker would worry about protecting her above all else. If she was stood next to him, he would've had to twist to push her out the way, lifting his arm and exposing the one area of weakness in the vest," he indicated under his arm, where he already knew the bullet had penetrated.  
>"Oh God," Abby breathed and then her voice became determined. "We are so not going to tell Jess about this. She will only blame herself!"<br>"I suspect that was what Ethan had in mind all along," Matt continued in his soft Irish voice. "Becker can be very predictable, particularly where Jess is concerned."  
>"Ethan?" asked Abby, glancing briefly at Emily, realising that the woman's passive face meant she already knew. "It was Ethan? Patrick? I mean, Danny's brother?" she floundered with that piece of news.<br>Matt nodded. "Sorry, I thought you knew."  
>Abby and Connor shook their heads. "Where is Ethan now?" asked Connor.<br>Matt smiled grimly. "Blew his own brains out right after he shot Becker. Saved me a job," he shrugged.  
>Abby sank into a chair. "Oh God, poor Jess. No wonder she was really freaking out."<br>Connor hunkered down in front of her and placed his hands on her knees. "What's important now is making sure Becker gets better and being there for Jess." he said softly. Abby nodded and rested her forehead against his.

38 hours after the shooting, the ICU room was dark, lit only by an eerie LCD glow. Becker lay still and silent amongst the machines, lost in a world where no-one could find him. He had to seek his own way home. In the darkness of his subconscious, he could only hear her, feel her, breathe her, taste her. He could not see her beauty or touch her soft skin. But she was his anchor, holding him in this world where he wanted to be; preventing him from drifting off into the other world, where his cold, tired, aching body wanted to take him. Her constancy pulled him out of his darkness and into her glowing light.

Captain Becker registered sound first. Very faintly, he dreamt he could hear beeping and a strange sighing sound. Gradually, he realised, the beeping was getting louder and faster. He couldn't identify the sound, and didn't even try, he just listened to its rhythm in his dreams.

After 39 hours Becker began to feel sensation in his dream world. His whole body, which he thought was still attached to him but he couldn't be entirely sure, felt heavy. He could not move his limbs, but he could feel they were still there, weighing him down and making him feel exhausted. Another sensation pierced his dreams - pain. Oh God, there was so much pain now. Becker tried to move, to cry out, but the dream wouldn't let him. He lay there, silent and still, as the pain ravaged his body and the beeping got louder, no longer soothing but strident and aggravating.

40 hours after the shooting, Becker moved his lips. He could smell ammonia and disinfectant and it was burning his nostrils. His lungs ached with constant movement, not of his own control, and his throat felt sore and constricted and as he swallowed he tasted plastic. His mind fought the darkness, struggling desperately to release him from this dream. The beeping, which had been his constant companion in the dark got louder and louder and louder, causing his head to ache and his eyes to move rapidly beneath their lids in protest.

41 hours after the shooting, Becker opened his eyes and blinked repeatedly as the dim light assaulted his pupils, making him furrow his brow. At first he found it difficult to focus, everything was blurry and bright. He sighed inwardly as, with a slight move of his head, his eyes rested on the one thing he had desperately wanted to see - Jessica…

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><p>AN OMG I am so sorry about the "glowing light" bit! Thank you to everyone for reading! Hope you are enjoying it. Reviews please as always. The next chapter (or maybe two) will be the last...


	10. Chapter 10 Waking Up

**A/N Sorry for the slow update - I needed to get One Hell of a Day out of my system first (please read it!). Anyway, Becker is awake and ooops being mean to Jess again! There will be some fluff coming in a later chapter - I promise! I just need to get the filler out of the way first. I hope you like it anyway...**

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><p>The room suddenly became alive with medics; they rushed in and surrounded his bed, all pulling and poking at different parts of him. His view of Jess became obstructed and he struggled to move his head to keep her in eyesight.<br>"Captain Becker," one of the medics touched his shoulder firmly, bringing his attention back to the commotion around him. "Please try to stay still. We have you on a ventilator and we need to get the tube out of your throat ok?"  
>Becker focused on the man, of medium build with blonde hair and blue eyes, and nodded once.<br>"Ok," the medic continued. "Now, I want you to take in a breath with the ventilator and then, on three, exhale as I withdraw the tube. Are you ready?"  
>Becker nodded again. He inhaled and listened to the medic count. He exhaled and felt his throat being torn apart from his chest to his mouth as the tube grated its way out. He coughed violently as the tube left his mouth and the medic held him gently.<br>"Try some water," the medic suggested as the coughing subsided.  
>Becker took a sip, some of the water trickling down his chin, and nodded his thanks.<p>

It was at that point that something bouncing behind the medic caught his attention. Jess. She was trying to see over the medic's shoulder and even though he was not a tall man, he was still taller than Jess without her heels and so she was hopping about trying to see what was going on. She was very quiet but Becker could feel her excitement and enthusiasm radiating across the room. Once all the medical equipment had been removed from Becker's body (bar the heart monitor and the drip), all the medics, except the blonde man, moved back and left the room. Becker came into Jess's view and she squealed and launched herself at him.

She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. Becker raised an eyebrow and then sucked in a noisy breath as pain spiked across his body like a million little lightning strikes. He moaned softly as Jess disentangled herself from him and the pain faded to a dull ache. Jess stared at him, her big blue eyes filling with tears as she realised she had caused him pain.  
>"Oh God, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry," she babbled.<br>He stared at her and his eyebrows lifted again. "Its good to see you too, Jess," he rasped with a slight twist to his lips. "But why is it whenever I'm injured, you insist on torturing me?"  
>She pulled a face, knowing he was referring to the Therocephalian bite he sustained about a year ago but she resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him.<br>"I'm sorry I hurt you," she said. "I just got a little over excited. I mean its just so great that you're alive!" her natural exuberance and girly foolishness around Becker began to get the better of her. She looked at the medic for confirmation. "I mean, isn't it great that he's alive?"  
>The medic smiled at her and nodded. He knew how long she had been here waiting and was prepared to indulge her for a short while at least.<br>The look on Becker's face, however, was priceless. He looked bewildered, confused and not a little bit scared. Then he recovered himself slightly.  
>"Yes, Jess, it is really great that I'm alive," he agreed soberly.<br>She giggled then nudged his leg with her hand. "Budge up!"  
>What? Budge up? He budged up anyway, and Jess seated herself on his bed and took hold of his hand. Her face became serious for a moment.<br>"I was worried about you, you know," she told him.  
>He squeezed her hand. "I know. Thank you. But its all going to be fine now."<br>She smiled at him, happy with his reassurance.  
>Suddenly he frowned, noticing for the first time that she was clad in only a hospital gown and a blanket.<br>"Jess, how long have you been here?" he asked gently.  
>"Oh, not long," she breezed. "They kept me in anyway for observation, that's why I haven't been home to change." She pulled the blanket further around her shoulders self-consciously.<br>Becker studied her from underneath his eyebrows. She was lying but he was too muddled to figure out why just yet. She looked very tired, with dark rings under her eyes. Tell-tale tear tracks still smudged her cheeks. He had to get her to go home somehow.  
>"Jess," he murmured. "You need to go home. Have a shower, get some fresh clothes and something to eat. You look so tired."<br>She dropped his hand and her face fell. "You want me to leave?" she whispered.  
>"Just for a little while. You need to freshen up and I need to rest." He tried to make it sound as sensible as possible. But the hurt didn't leave her face.<br>"Right, ok, I'm sorry. I'll be going then," she stood up, pulling the blanket ever closer about herself, as if this would ward off the anguish she was feeling at being sent away.  
>She glanced once at the medic and fled the room.<br>"Jess!" Becker tried to call her name but his voice had no volume. Then she was gone and he had the horrible feeling that he had handled that very badly.

His uncertainty must have shown on his face because the medic spoke to him.  
>"You were right. She did need to go home," he told him matter-of-factly.<br>Becker looked at his doctor. "How long was she here?"  
>The medic smiled. "Hmmmmmm, you've been here about 43 hours now. She's been here, oh about 43 hours give or take…"<br>Becker's eyebrows twitched as the words sank in. She'd been sat in that chair for 40-odd hours just waiting for him. He closed his eyes and sighed. He should never have encouraged her. What had he been thinking? He opened his eyes again and stared hard at the medic.  
>"And what about me? What's happened?" he demanded, angry at himself again.<br>The medic, which Becker vaguely recognised as Johnson, pulled up a chair and sat down.  
>"How much do you remember, Captain?" he asked gently.<p>

Becker swallowed. He remembered being in the lift with Jess, dropping his guard and letting her in for just a moment. He remembered his fear as Ethan had stepped out of the shadows. He remembered moving to push Jess out of the way of the bullet…  
>"Ethan shot me, didn't he." It was a statement, not a question. Johnson nodded.<br>Becker was suddenly alert. "Where is Ethan now?" he demanded, his mind ready to leap into action, even if his body was not.  
>"Calm down, Captain Becker," Johnson laid a soothing hand on his arm. "Ethan is dead. He can't hurt anyone anymore."<br>Becker relaxed, but only slightly.  
>He indicated to his injury with his head. "How bad is it? And why do I feel like I've just been trampled by a herd of stampeding Embolotherium?"<br>The medic's lips became tight and Becker winced, this couldn't be good.  
>"You died in the car park, Becker," Johnson told him, knowing the Captain would prefer to hear it straight rather than be mollycoddled. "The bullet penetrated just below your arm, breaking a rib on the way in. We had to perform emergency surgery at the scene. When you went into cardiac arrest we had to break two more ribs so Mr Anderson could get your heart beating again."<br>Becker's eyebrows flew up towards his hairline. "Matt?" he barked.  
>Johnson nodded. "He had field surgery training so stayed to assist. He gave you a heart massage while I tried to stop you from bleeding to death. Then we transported you here. You had several transfusions because of all the blood you lost and you were touch and go for quite a while. We gave you a maximum of 48 hours to show signs of improvement. You did in 41 hours so we're pleased with that." The medic paused for a moment.<br>"She never left once in all that time. She kept talking to you about the most random things. I dare say you don't remember any of it - which is probably just as well," Johnson smiled as Becker looked baffled.

"So, what happens now?" Becker asked, wanting to shift the conversation away from Jess again.  
>Johnson stood up. "We will be keeping a close eye on you. You're not out of the woods yet by any means. The biggest problem we have is whether you've developed a blood clot, which could cause us some major issues should it reach your lungs or your heart. We will be scheduling a series of scans to see if we can pick anything up. In the meantime, we've got you on Warfarin to help thin your blood a little in an effort to prevent one forming, or decrease the size of any you may already have."<br>Becker swallowed, knowing that a blood clot could be as deadly as the bullet itself.  
>"Please don't worry, Captain Becker, you're in good hands. The ARC is better equipped than even the best private hospital in the UK."<br>Becker huffed at that, remembering a distinct lack of EpiPens - something he had personally addressed to the extent that the Medical Bay now had a boxful in every cupboard.

Johnson left Becker to mull over their conversation. Becker concentrated on thinking about what had happened, Matt's involvement and how to speed up his recovery. Anything to prevent himself thinking about Jess and about why she had stayed with him for so long. Slowly, he drifted off into an exhausted sleep. But here he couldn't avoid Jess. His dreams were filled with her.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading. Please review! Can you name the episodes that are referred to? (Just for fun!). Stick with it - there's fluff on the way! :-)<strong>


	11. Chapter 11 The Plan

**A/N So Jess is back to her normal chirpy self in this chapter - hurray! And poor Captain Becker, what has Abby got planned for you? ;-)**

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><p>Jess didn't go home as instructed. Her rebellious streak refused to let her. How dare he order her around like she was one of his men! Hah, Emily had defied him, refusing to be sent home when the ARC had been overrun by the beetles, and so would she - he would be so angry with her but she didn't care. You do care though, her gentler self argued. And he wasn't being mean, he was only thinking of your well-being. Its really quite sweet actually.<p>

She sighed and entered the locker room. She thought she would have a shower here and change her clothes. Then she would decide what to do next, when she was back to her old self. She stepped under the warm water and let if flow over her body, hard and powerful. That was the fantastic thing about the ARC showers - the water pressure was hard enough to bounce back off your skin and the temperature of the water was wonderfully hot. It battered away all the fear and tension from her muscles, un-knotting her shoulders from hours spent in a chair. She felt cleansed and renewed, ready to face the world again.

She stepped out and wrapped herself in the large towel she had brought from her locker. It was soft and fluffy and trapped the warmth of the water against her skin. Ready to face the world? She sighed. Most of the world anyway…she wasn't sure if she was ready to face him again yet. She had been so sure of him after their little moment in the lift. (Was that really only a couple of days ago?). And now, when she had so wanted to be with him, he had sent her away. What did it mean? Was she reading too much into this? Had he really only meant her to go and have a shower and then come back to him? But she didn't have the confidence in herself, or the oh-so-new change in their relationship, to go back to him as if she belonged there.

She dressed, determined to think of something else for a while. She wondered what was happening with her beloved ADD. She realised she had never been away from it for such a long time before. Who was using it? Who was sitting in her seat? She hoped they weren't getting too comfortable. She exited the locker room and stopped. Should she head back to the Medical Bay or go and check on the ADD? Her decision was made for her by Lester, who materialised in front of her as she dithered in the corridor.  
>"Ah, Miss Parker," he barked. "Lovely to see you back with us again. All fit and ready for work?"<br>"Well, I, ah -" Jess fumbled over her words.  
>"Yes, well, you can't expect others to cover for you indefinitely, Parker. There's plenty of paperwork piling up and I'm sure there's a glitch in the Comm system which could use your attention."<br>Jess just stood there gaping at him.  
>"Well, don't just stand there Parker! Off you go!" Lester ordered.<br>Jess couldn't think of a suitable comeback, so she just nodded and headed off towards the Ops Room. Lester watched her go, his face softening slightly. Poor Jess, but it was for her own good after all. Then he assumed his usual impassive facial expression and headed off to the Medical Bay.

The doors to the ICU opened and Lester made his entrance.  
>"I heard my Head of Security was back in the land of the living again," he announced.<br>Becker acknowledged his boss by raising his hand slightly off the bed and then dropping it back down again wearily.  
>Lester turned his attention to Johnson. "So, how's he doing? Ready to be chasing dinosaurs yet?"<br>"Not quite yet, sir," Johnson replied, used to Lester's sarcasm. "He's doing a lot better than we had expected though. If his recovery carries on at this rate he will be out of ICU in a few weeks, back at home in about a month or so, and ready for active duty after about six months."  
>"I'll be ready in four," interjected Becker quietly from his bed.<br>"Yes, well, the sooner the better, really," stated Lester dryly. He looked back at the medic. "I understand you've been beset by one of my other staff over the last couple of days? That little problem has now been addressed - she has an awful lot of work to catch up on. Should take her a while, so make the most of it."  
>Johnson nodded, smiling, knowing Lester secretly adored Miss Parker.<br>Lester started to depart and then stopped and turned to face the Captain. "Glad to see you're alive, Becker. Less paperwork, you know."  
>Becker smiled slightly. "Thanks, Lester," he murmured to the civil servant's back as the older man hurried out of the room before he could get any more sentimental.<p>

Jess sat at her ADD and lovingly stroked the keyboard. This was better, back where she belonged, back where everything made sense. There had been no anomaly alerts since she had been ensconced in the Medical Bay and everything seemed to be working correctly. However, a short diagnostic wouldn't hurt, so she put the procedures in motion. She also took the time to hack into the CCTV feed in the Medical Bay and brought up the ICU cameras on one of her screens. She reduced the size of the picture so it was just a small box in the corner; no point in alerting anyone else to what she had done. But now she got to keep an eye on him without having to be in the same room. She knew she shouldn't, but she could and she had so there! She mentally stuck her tongue out at him.

She was momentarily distracted by the arrival of a small pot of something on her desk beside her and the presence of someone behind her chair. She frowned.  
>"What's that?" she asked gesturing the small pot with a tip of her head.<br>Abby appeared beside her, grinning. "That is Cookie Dough Ice Cream."  
>"What's it doing there?" queried Jess, trying to keep a straight face.<br>"Its for you. I thought you might need it," Abby waggled two spoons at her. "But I'm hoping you're going to share!"  
>Jess couldn't resist laughing and Abby pulled off the lid of the ice cream and delved in with her spoon. Jess followed suit and as soon as she closed her lips around the cool, sweet, soft ice cream she relaxed, leaning backwards in her chair and sighing pleasurably. "God, that's good!"<br>"I know!" agreed Abby. "Just what was needed?"  
>"Mmm hmmm," murmured Jess through a mouthful of ice cream.<br>"Good. Now spill!" Abby's tone of voice changed from conciliatory to demanding suddenly.  
>Jess stared at her in surprise. "What?"<br>"Jess, you've been sat with Becker for two days straight. What's going on?"  
>Jess felt the colour rising in her cheeks. "Nothing's going on -" she began.<br>Abby grabbed the ice cream and held it away from Jess. "Tell me or the Cookie Dough gets it!" she couldn't help laughing and that made Jess laugh too.  
>Jess lowered her head and her voice so that Abby had to lean in to hear her.<br>"I don't know, Abby, I thought he told me he liked me but now I'm not so sure."  
>Abby handed over the ice cream. "Tell me everything," she entreated.<br>Jess sighed. "He said that you were right about him but that he needed to get his head around it."  
>Abby huffed but decided to keep her opinion on that to herself as she saw Jess's face.<br>"But then when he woke up in the ICU, the first thing he did was send me away," continued Jess. "So now I really have no idea what, if anything, is going on." She sighed heavily.  
>"Bit obvious really," came a deep Northern voice from behind them, making both girls jump and slop ice cream over the ADD.<br>"Hey, careful with the technical equipment!" protested Connor, leaning over and wiping the spillage with his sleeve. Abby rolled her eyes indulgently at him. She caught his arm as he turned to leave, his interest in their conversation forgotten.  
>"Hang on, what's obvious?" she demanded.<br>"You were talking about Action Man, right?" Connor asked and both girls nodded.  
>"Ok, so he's Action Man. He's invincible, right? So, he's not going to want you to see him all banged up and vulnerable and well, un-invincible, is he?" Connor concluded as if this revelation was the most obvious thing in the world and that Abby and Jess were completely loony to have missed it. "Figures he has to push you away. He can't have you seeing him all helpless now can he?"<br>Abby calmly placed her arms around Connor's neck and kissed his cheek. "Who knew you could be so insightful?" she murmured with a twist of her lips.  
>"I have my moments," Connor told her proudly and Jess turned away as the couple smooched.<br>Abby noticed Jess's discomfort and disengaged from Connor. "Don't you have something else you should be doing?" She shooed him away and turned her attention back to Jess.

Taking another mouthful of ice cream, she devised a plan.  
>"You know what you should do," she told Jess. "You should go back there after work."<br>"Back where?" asked Jess, confused.  
>"To the ICU. Take some dinner and a book. Or your laptop and a film. Spend a bit of time with him." She smiled at the younger girl, her eyes sparkling mischievously.<br>Jess looked doubtfully at Abby. "He wouldn't want me to do that." she said finally.  
>"Well, its not like he can run away, now is it?" finished Abby triumphantly, a huge grin on her face. "And its just one friend keeping another friend company so he doesn't get completely bored out of his mind! At least, at first it is…."<br>Jess smiled now too, following Abby's thoughts.  
>"Well, ok, but if he shouts at me you'd better be there for back up!"<br>Abby hugged her. "Of course I'll be there - but, trust me, you won't need me."  
>She released Jess and waggled her spoon at one of the ADD screens.<br>"By the way, nice view!" She winked and left Jess blushing.

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><p><strong>So, I thought we needed a bit more fun in this story! Thank you to Esmerelda Diana Parker for the Cookie Dough ice cream - I think Jess definitely needed it! :-) Reviews please - and then poor Becker won't have anywhere to run in the next chapter! LOL<strong>


	12. Chapter 12 First Date

**A/N Ok I hope this chapter is not too boring (its difficult to be interesting when there isn't any action). I know what the last chapter is going to be - I just have to get there! Anyway, I'm trying to keep this going so please bear with me. In this chapter Becker gets some guests…and maybe a date?**

**As usual I don't own Primeval or Becker unfortunately. Please read and review (I need to know how I'm doing!).**

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><p>Even though he felt like he had been run over by a truck or given the run-around by a stray Diictodon or charged over by a Stegosaurus (or all three to be fair), and he knew he needed to rest, Becker was bored. More used to being a man of action, he couldn't get the hang of just lying there, waiting for his body to heal itself enough for him to get up and do something. He was annoyed and grumpy and, to his great surprise, missing Jess more than he thought possible. He regretted sending her away and letting Lester give her lots of work to do. He hoped she would come back to see him, if nothing more than to see her smile.<p>

The door to the ICU opened and Becker looked up, hopeful, but it was the rest of the team, minus the person he really wanted to see. He looked down at his hands again, remembering the feel of her small fingers in his palm. He sighed and lifted his head again to greet his friends.

"Hey Action Man!" Connor bounced across the room with his usual childish enthusiasm.

"Hardly, Connor," muttered Becker, already finding his exuberance tiring.

Johnson was still in the room and he turned to Connor and frowned. "Please try to keep as calm and quiet as possible," he told Connor sternly. "Captain Becker needs to avoid any unnecessary excitement."

"Good job Jess isn't here then," Connor whispered loudly so everyone could hear.

Becker turned his head away and Abby rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. "Shut up Connor," she mouthed. Connor made a big show of pressing his lips together and zipping them shut.

Abby pushed Connor out of the way and took Becker's hand in hers, rubbing it with her thumb. Becker stared at her but didn't say anything.

"Ignore him," she told the soldier. "I'll be taking a stapler to his mouth later."

Becker gave her a small smile. "Nothing an EMD wouldn't sort out when I get out of here," he said gruffly.

Abby patted his hand reassuringly. "Its good to see you Becker," she said softly. "We weren't sure what we were going to do if we'd lost you."

Becker tensed slightly at her show of affection, something he wasn't used to being directed at him. Matt tactfully changed the atmosphere.

"Of course, I've spend the last two days looking through CVs for a new Head of Security, just in case," he teased easily, walking up to the bed and giving Becker's shoulder a friendly punch. "It is good to see you though, mate."

Becker looked up at Matt and his expression became unreadable.

"Thank you Matt," he murmured, his words thick and full of meaning.

"Anytime, mate," Matt nodded, knowing that Becker wasn't thanking him for visiting.

There was an awkward pause, which Emily interrupted by moving forward and pressing a kiss to Becker's cheek. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and glanced quickly at Matt to make sure he condoned her actions. But Matt was smiling as Emily quickly smoothed the lipgloss smudge off Becker's cheek (she had been introduced to lipgloss by a very enthusiastic Jess. "Yaaay, a make-over!" were the words Jess had used and Emily had actually enjoyed the experience).

"Get well soon, Captain," she told him. "We'll have lots of dinosaurs just waiting for you to shoot them."

Becker grinned. "Well, I should hope so too," he told her lightly.

"Right, times up everyone," said Johnson. "Captain Becker needs to rest now or he won't be up and about shooting anything anytime soon."

They all trooped out, calling out "Bye Becker, See you Becker, Get well soon!"

Becker sighed heavily as they left. He had great respect for each and every one of them but, in his current condition, they were exhausting. He murmured his thanks to Johnson for getting rid of them and felt guilty that he was glad they had gone. Becker drifted back off to sleep, something he had been doing on and off all day. He just couldn't help it, no matter how hard he tried to stay awake. Johnson had upped his pain medication to make him drowsy, knowing the Captain was fighting the sleep he so desperately needed to allow his body to heal.

It was about 7.30pm when Jess gingerly pushed open the ICU door. She poked her head in and saw Johnson at his desk. He motioned her inside but put his finger to his lips indicating she should be quiet. "Don't you ever leave?" Jess mouthed at him with a smile.  
>Then she looked at Becker and sighed wistfully. How peaceful he looked, his face slack and unlined, all the usual worries he bore undone in sleep. He looked younger, more boyish, with long dark eyelashes splayed out across his pale skin. She had never noticed how long his eyelashes were before. Johnson brought her out of her reverie.<p>

"Miss Parker?" he queried quietly.

She shook her head and walked over to him. "Jess, please," she said lightly. "My name is Jess."

He raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. "Well, I think I may be a frequent visitor here, so we may as well be on first name terms, don't you think?" She grinned at him and he grinned back.

"Very well, I'm Paul," he told her pleasantly. "Nice to meet you, Jess." He indicated the brown paper bag she carried in her arms. "What's that?"

"Dinner," she told him simply. "After out little chat, I popped out to get some of the things you said his dietary requirements would allow. Will you check it for me and make sure its ok? I snuck something extra in there so you'll have to tell me if he's allowed it or not." She flashed him her best smile and he chuckled at her persistence.

He checked out the food and smiled at her. "Its all fine, Miss - I mean Jess."

"Great, thanks for your help Paul. I just hope he's as co-operative…"

"He can hear you, you know…" Becker muttered gruffly from his bed.

Jess started slightly and pretended to glare at him.

"You really shouldn't listen to other people's conversations, Becker," she told him curtly, but with a smile.

"I could hardly help it what with being stuck in the same room and all," he replied with a smirk.

"Its not nice to eavesdrop," she insisted.

"Well, you should know," he returned, enjoying the banter. "You eavesdrop over the Comms all the time."

" Ah yes, but I'm discreet - and I've never eavesdropped on your conversations," she stepped closer to him so she could see his face.

"That's cos I turn my Comms off if I don't want you to hear," he raised an eyebrow at her and smiled.

She feigned shock. "Captain Becker, that's against the rules!"

He grinned and then changed the subject. "So what's in the bag?"

"Dinner," said Jess simply. Then she leaned in conspiratorially "I hear the food's not great here!" she whispered loudly, giving Becker a wink.

"Hey, I'm still in the room Jess!" protested Johnson, but he was smiling.

Jess turned to the medic. "Can we sit him up please?"

Johnson made his way over to the bed and pressed the button on the keypad. The head of the bed rose pushing Becker upright.

"Hey! Will you two stop talking about me as if I'm not here - and do I get a say in anything?" he demanded. Jess's giggle told him, actually no, he didn't, she was in charge now. And actually, he discovered he didn't mind - what was up with that?

Once sitting up, Johnson rolled the over-bed tray into position so Jess could place the food there. He got a cup of iced water for Becker and placed that on the tray too. Jess fussed with the food for a moment, occasionally exchanging glances with Becker as he watched her. She found herself getting flustered under his gaze and she giggled nervously

Johnson shook his head, gathered up his paperwork and turned to Jess.

"I'll be outside at the medic's station if you need me Jess. Don't stay too long, he'll get over-tired."

"I won't Paul, and thank you," Jess flashed him a smile before he disappeared out the door. She turned back to Becker who was staring at her quizzically.

"Jess? Paul?" he asked in a not too friendly tone.

"Well, like I said to Paul, if I'm going to be hanging around here a lot, we may as well be on first name terms. I'm not sure I like being called Miss Parker all the time!" She pulled up a chair and sat down.

"I'd prefer it if he called you Miss Parker all the time," Becker grumbled.

She grinned at him. "Jealous much?" she said teasingly.

"I'm not jealous!" he protested then backed down, sighing and attempted to change the subject.

"So, you'll be hanging around here a lot will you?" his gaze was direct and she felt herself flush.

"Just one friend keeping another one company so he doesn't go completely out of his mind with boredom," she informed him, a little more pointedly than was necessary.

"Well, no-one likes to be bored," he murmured and she rewarded him with a smile.

"So, what's for dinner - I'm starving!" he grinned. "Please tell me its Chinese with prawn crackers!"

"Sorry, no," Jess shook her head. "That's against your dietary requirements according to Paul." She heard Becker groan and decided that perhaps she ought to call him Johnson when she talked to Becker.

"So, we have a tasty chicken salad instead," she continued happily.

Becker groaned again. Salad? Really? He couldn't think of anything worse. His mouth turned down at the corners and he looked so pitifully miserable that Jess couldn't help laughing.

"But," she continued. "I did nip out to that deli that you like and got your favourite sauce -"

He stared at her quizzically. How did she know what deli he liked, let alone his favourite sauce, for heaven's sake?

Triumphantly, she produced a small, white pot and removed the lid.

"Soy and ginger! I thought it might make the chicken a little more interesting - and what Johnson doesn't know won't hurt him, will it?" She dropped her voice for the last part, making it sound like they were doing something they shouldn't, even though she had got the extra ingredient passed by the medic first.

Becker's eyes widened. "How did you -?" he began, then stopped. He placed his hand over hers and she looked at him, blushing slightly. "Jess, you never cease to amaze me," he murmured truthfully.

She grinned at him and poured the sauce over their dinner.


	13. Chapter 13 Learning

**A/N This feels like another filler chapter I'm afraid, but I'm trying to show how their relationship is progessing so we can get on to the GOOD STUFF at the end! :-) Read and review please, please, pretty please! **

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><p>Becker remained in the ICU for another 2 weeks. During that time Jess arrived every evening with dinner and he found himself looking forward to it every day. The first few evenings he was too tired to do much more than listen to her but Jess seemed quite happy with that. She told him about what was happening in the ARC, the anomaly alerts, creature incursions and injuries, if any, sustained by the team or the general public. Becker found he could quite easily listen to her chatter and drift in and out of consciousness if he needed too without any upset on her part.<p>

One evening he awoke to silence. He looked round, suddenly panicked that she was no longer there, but she smiled at him from her chair when their eyes met.  
>"You've stopped talking," he managed, a bit confused.<br>"You'd stopped listening," she accused him with a smile.  
>"Sorry," he said sheepishly. Then he asked curiously, "What do you do when I fall asleep?"<br>_Apart from watch you, thinking about how beautiful you are? Jess thought._  
>"I read." She said, holding up the book in her lap. It was a thick book, with teeny tiny words that made Becker's eyes squint.<br>"What are you reading?" he asked softly, genuinely intrigued.  
>"Anna Karenina by Tolstoy," she replied and smiled as she watched his eyebrows flicker in surprise.<br>"Tolstoy," he murmured. "That's a heavy book -" he faltered slightly as he caught her eye.  
>"Not what you expected I'd be reading?" she surmised. "Bet you thought it would be Mills and Boon or something!"<br>"No - yes - maybe -" Becker conceded. "Sorry."  
>"No need, I just like my romance novels to be a little less fluffy," she told him lightly.<br>"That must be the only thing in the world you do like less fluffy," Becker chuckled softly, having to put a hand to his chest to ward off the painful ache it caused him.  
>"Hey!" Jess protested, wishing she had something she could throw at him.<br>Becker's chuckles subsided and he became serious again. "Read me some?" he asked uncertainly. She grinned, opened the book and began reading. It didn't matter that it was, in essence, a romance novel. Her voice soothed him, regardless of the words.

Towards the end of Anna Karenina, Becker was declared fit to be moved from the ICU to a small private room off the main Medical Bay.  
>"At last - progress!" declared Becker, somewhat sarcastically. The room had less equipment in it but he was still hooked up to a drip and had a pulse monitor over his little finger. However, there was a TV and a phone and even a coffee maker. If you squinted, you could almost think it was a rather sparse budget hotel, Becker had remarked on his first afternoon in his new accommodations.<p>

Jess popped her head in as usual for dinner early that evening. Becker was sitting up, smiling with much more colour in his face.  
>"So, what's for dinner?" he asked her as she entered the room.<br>She grinned, handed him a small box and stood hopping from one heeled shoe to the other, waiting for his reaction.  
>"Prawn crackers!" he exclaimed and a real look of pleasure crossed his face. He stared at Jess with one eyebrow raised. "Does that mean - ?"<br>Jess nodded, pleased with his obvious delight. "Chinese!" she declared happily, placing the containers on the table beside him.  
>"And what will we be reading later?" he asked her with less enthusiasm.<br>She shook her head. "Got something better," she muttered as she rummaged in her bag. She pulled out a small rectangular box and walked to the TV. "Its film night!" she declared with a grin.  
>Becker groaned. "Jess, not some cheesy romcom please!" he complained.<br>"Oh how little you know me Captain Becker!" she chastised him and held up the box. "Will 'Hot Fuzz' do?"  
>His eyes widened in surprise as she put the DVD in the machine.<br>"You like 'Hot Fuzz' ?" his tone was incredulous.  
>She sat down next to him. "Well, there's action and guns and stuff in it for you - and Simon Pegg to keep me amused!" She laughed at his reaction. "Who doesn't like Simon Pegg?"<br>Becker couldn't argue with that. Instead he tucked into his Chinese takeaway with gusto as the film began.  
>Jess settled down in her chair, Chinese on her knee.<br>"I think I might bring 'Shaun of the Dead' tomorrow," she said absently, making Becker choke on his noodles.

Film night became a regular thing, much more enjoyable than books. They laughed, she squealed at the more gory bits and Becker would glance at her, amused, as she hid her face in her hands.  
>"One day, you're going to watch a romcom," she told him firmly.<br>He grinned at her. "Over my dead body!" he declared.  
>She became subdued. "Please don't even joke about that," she murmured, as he reminded her of just how close she had come to losing him.<br>"Sorry," he said and squeezed her hand. He put the film on pause and she looked up at him curiously.  
>"Jess," he began suddenly. "What's your favourite colour?"<br>She was unable to hide her surprise at his question and she fumbled her answer.  
>"Um - burgundy, I think. Why?" She frowned a little at him, uncertain.<br>"Not lime green or apricot or pink?" he teased, smiling at her confusion.  
>"Ha ha," she said with sarcasm. "No, definitely burgundy. I have lots of throws and cushions at my flat in that colour. And I saw the most marvellous burgundy dress once - but I can't wear it because of my hair," her sentence petered out as she realised he was staring at her. "What?"<br>"I think you have lovely hair," he told her, trying to keep a straight face and failing.  
>She swatted his arm with her hand and enjoyed how his muscles tensed under her fingers.<br>"What's your favourite chocolate?" he continued his questioning suddenly.  
>Distracted, she answered without thinking. "Bournville. I like it dark and tasty," she murmured lost in how a square of Bournville chocolate made her feel, melting on her tongue.<br>Her eyes were drawn to his as he coughed, trying to hide a chuckle. His mouth was twisted into a smirk and his eyes twinkled at her deliciously.  
>"The chocolate, Becker!" she admonished him, but her eyes were twinkling too.<br>Becker attempted to straighten his face, but his mouth kept pulling up at the corners.  
>"Yes, of course," he agreed, seriously before grinning again.<br>"So, what's with the twenty questions anyway?" demanded Jess before he could press his point further.  
>He sighed. "It just occurred to me that I didn't know the answers," he shrugged as if it was no big deal.<br>"Oh. And what about you?" she queried.  
>He raised his eyebrows to ask her what she meant. She smiled.<br>"What's your favourite colour?" she asked sweetly.  
>He grinned. "Aside from black you mean?"<br>She returned his grin and nodded, leaning back in her chair awaiting the answer. Becker was silent for a moment, then sighed.  
>"Red," he decided. "I think it would have to be red."<br>Not the answer Jess had been expecting by any means. "Red!" she exclaimed before she could stop herself. "Why?" Her question came out more bluntly than she had intended.  
>He laughed. "Because its bold and bright and daring and maybe a little bit dangerous," he told her with a waggle of his eyebrows.<br>"Just like you," she whispered, hoping he hadn't heard, before launching into her next question. "And chocolate?"  
>"Can't stand the stuff," he said pulling a face. "But I am partial to a Pepperami!"<br>Jess crinkled her nose. "Yuck, Becker, your diet is appalling!" she complained.  
>He just grinned and pressed play on the DVD to restart the film.<p>

Jess settled back down in her chair with a contented sigh, realising that in the last few weeks they had learnt more about each other than in the last two years of working together. She risked a quick glance in his direction and smiled as he looked away suddenly, caught looking at her.

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><p><strong>Hope you liked it - please review if you did! :-)<strong>


	14. Chapter 14 50 First Dates

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews - they are much appreciated! As for the DVDs they were watching in the last chapter - they are British films (I'm guessing they didn't make it to the US or Europe - sorry! But if you get the chance to see them, I thoroughly recommend them!)**

**I'm not sure what happened with this chapter - it kind of ran away with me. The words just kept coming and I'm not to sure about its direction but, hey, there's plenty of Jecker fluff so that's a bonus! Hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think...**

**I don't own Primeval or any of the characters, but just for the record I would like to be Ben Mansfield's belt buckle! ;-D**

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><p>Nearly two months after the shooting, Jess was seated at the ADD running diagnostics. It had been quiet for the last few days and she was taking advantage of that by doing some housekeeping tasks - diagnostics, report writing and upgrading the computer systems throughout the ARC.<p>

Well, that was what she was supposed to be doing. Instead she found herself frequently drifting away from the task at hand and day dreaming about Becker. He was getting so much better, she was sure they would allow him home soon. And then what? They spent a few hours every evening together while he was in the Medical Bay and she thought he enjoyed it as much as she did. But what about when they sent him home? Would he still want to see her and spend time with her? Or would their very fragile friendship revert back to what it had been - merely co-workers and colleagues? She sighed and pressed a few buttons on the ADD keypad, aware that it had just beeped at her.

She sat back in her large chair and closed her eyes just for a moment. She saw him and smiled. He really was quite yummy with his olive skin, dark hair, amazingly long eyelashes and twinkling hazel eyes. She remembered his smirk, his dimple and the flash of white teeth when he grinned. She remembered the way she had seen his muscles playing, twitching and flexing, under his skin and wondered wistfully what it would feel like to touch them.

She jumped as she felt a hand grip her shoulder.  
>"Earth to Jess!" called Connor loudly, with a big grin on his face. She stared up at him, blinking rapidly, trying to get her bearings.<br>"Connor!" she choked out in surprise and flushed, hoping he hadn't been able to read her mind.  
>He waggled a finger at her.<br>"Ten to one you were day dreaming about Becker!" he claimed, his grin widening.  
>"No, no -" stuttered Jess, her blush deepening. She shook her head and tried to change the subject.<br>"What do you want Connor?" she demanded, a little crossly.  
>In the corner of her eye she saw Abby running towards them and briefly wondered why.<br>Then Connor opened his mouth again. "So how long have you and Action Man been dating now?" he asked innocently.  
>Jess's mouth dropped open just as Abby arrived at Connor's side.<br>"Sorry, Jess," she glared at Connor who shrugged. "I only removed the staples this morning and you're causing trouble again already?" she chastised him, but she was gazing at him lovingly.  
>"What?" Connor had no idea he had said anything wrong. "She goes over to his place every evening for dinner and a film! Sounds like a date to me!"<br>Jess hung her head as her cheeks burned. Abby squeezed her shoulder sympathetically.  
>"Sorry, I'll remove him from the premises," she promised and dragged Connor away.<p>

Jess looked around her, at her colleagues, fellow techies and security personnel, all going about their business in the Ops Room. Is that what they all thought? She wondered, horrified. That she and Becker were dating while he was recuperating in the Medical Bay. Or, did they think she was hanging around him because of some ridiculous unrequited crush and that he was only tolerating her because he couldn't leave? Or, worse still, did they think that she and Becker were making out while he lay in his hospital bed?

A few of her co-workers looked at her and smiled but she looked away quickly, unable to chance seeing one of them judging her. What had she been thinking, hanging around Becker so much? Of course, the "dating" thing had been Abby's idea and she had just gone along with it. She should have known people were going to talk. There was as much office gossip in the ARC as any other workplace. Especially when there were no anomalies and people needed some excitement to fill in the time. It had just never occurred to her that she would be the topic of it. But if Connor had jumped to that conclusion - intelligent, genius but slow on the uptake Connor - then that meant it had crossed the minds of most of the workforce in the ARC several weeks ago! And, oh God, what about Becker? What had he thought? It must have surely occurred to him too by now and yet he had said nothing. He just kept letting her make a fool of herself.

She squared her shoulders and lifted her head determinedly. Well, she would put a stop to this. She wouldn't go tonight - lets see what they all make of that, she thought. She instantly felt miserable at the thought of not going to the Medical Bay this evening. But she was determined to prove to everyone and herself that she could survive without him. At least, just for one evening…

Becker waited and waited but she never came. He couldn't begin to describe the disappointment he felt as he realised, by 9pm, that she wasn't coming. He checked the mobile phone that she had snuck in for him for the umpteenth time but there were no messages from her. Not even in response to all his messages. Why was she avoiding him? What the hell had he done? He sat alone, brows furrowed, going over the last few days in his mind trying to find something, anything, that would explain how he had upset her. But for the life of him he couldn't think of anything. He fell asleep lonely and confused, wishing he wasn't such an idiot to have behaved so badly and not even know it.

Johnson looked in on him, as he did from time to time, about midnight. Becker was sleeping fitfully, tossing occasionally from side to side, with her name on his lips.

Next morning Becker when awoke he sat up and looked round hopefully for Jess. There was no sign she had visited in the night and his heart sank. He collapsed back into his pillows miserably and moped. His jaw ticked as he ground his teeth and determined that today he would find out what he had done wrong. He almost began to swing his legs off the bed to stand up, which he wasn't allowed to do without his physiotherapist present, when the door swung open and Matt walked in.

"Whoa, mate!" He hurried into the room as he saw Becker's toes poking out from underneath the blanket. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"  
>He placed a hand on Becker's shoulder and pressed him back onto the bed.<br>Becker sighed heavily. "Nowhere now," he grumped and Matt smirked.  
>"Just popped by to see how you're doing, mate," Matt told him. "I hear you might be let back out on the public soon!"<br>This was news to Becker, but at least it was good news! He managed a half-smile for the Irishman.  
>"Look out London." he muttered with sarcasm. Then it occurred to him that Matt might know about Jess.<br>"Matt," Becker began. "Was there an anomaly alert last night?" It was the only thing he could think of that might have kept Jess away or prevented her from answering his messages.  
>Matt frowned. "No, mate. Why?"<br>Becker's face fell visibly. "No reason." he sighed.  
>Matt smiled as he understood. "She didn't come to see you, did she?" he queried, already knowing the answer.<br>"I'm not sure what you mean," Becker retorted stiffly.  
>"I thought she was acting oddly," Matt continued as if Becker hadn't spoken. "But I didn't think she'd taken that much notice of Connor!"<br>"Connor?" exclaimed Becker, now staring at Matt, eyes narrowed.  
>"Connor said something he shouldn't have and I think Jess may have taken it to heart."<br>"I'm going to kill Temple!" Becker growled moving to get out of bed again.  
>Matt put a restraining hand on his arm. "Mate, I'll send her up here in a bit to see you . I'll make it a direct order if I have to." He grinned as Becker backed down slowly. Matt walked to the door once he was convinced that Becker would stay put. As he placed his hand on the door handle he stopped and looked back over his shoulder.<br>"Mate, why don't you just kiss her and get it over with?" He smirked at Becker's astounded face and disappeared through the door.

Becker couldn't deny the tingles of excitement that ran up and down his body at the mere thought of kissing Jess. Damn Matt. He'd been trying not to think about it and now he could do nothing but. He imagined tangling his fingers in her shining auburn hair, stroking the soft skin of her cheek with his fingertips and finally brushing her lips with his own. Unfortunately, as he allowed himself to enjoy his day dream a sharp knock on the door dragged him from it.  
>"What?" he snapped, angry at having his fantasies interrupted.<br>A reddish-brown head popped in, followed by the rest of Jess and Becker's heart lurched in his chest. His face lit up with delight at seeing her, eyebrows high on his forehead, hazel eyes wide as he drank in the sight of her like a patch of parched earth soaked up a sudden shower of rain. Hell, he had it bad - it had only been one night without her!  
>She smiled tentatively as she entered the room having heard the angry tone in his voice. "Matt said you wanted to see me about the extra security required in the car park?" she asked carefully, her voice going up a notch at the end.<br>He stretched out his arm and motioned her into the room. She stood, a little nervously he thought, just out of his reach. "So, what do you need?" she said.  
>His face was unreadable, his eyes intense and dark.<br>"You didn't visit last night," he said softly. "I missed you."  
>He saw the surprise register on her face. "Oh," she said, switching her weight from foot to foot as if she was about to run.<br>He reached his hand out for her in a gesture he hadn't made since that fateful conversation in the lift and Jess touched his fingertips with her own but did not move any closer to him. Becker decided he needed to be more forthright.  
>"So, what did Temple say?" he demanded suddenly.<br>Her head snapped up at his words. "What? How did you -? Oh, right - Matt. That's why he sent me up here," she realised with a sigh.  
>Becker managed to get a grip on her fingertips and pulled her unwillingly towards him.<br>"Are you going to tell me?" he asked more gently this time.  
>"No. Its silly and its not important. Who listens to what Connor says anyway?" she was staring at their clasped hands, avoiding his eyes.<br>"Well, it was obviously important enough last night that you stayed away," he said softly. "Please tell me Jess."  
>She looked up at him then, his eyes were gentle and full of concern.<br>She half-laughed and then realised how fake it sounded. "Really, Becker, its nothing!" she said dismissively and dropped her eyes again.  
>Becker squeezed her hand. "You know, you can either tell me now, or I can get Temple up here and beat it out of him." His tone was forceful and when Jess looked at him again she saw intensity and determination in his eyes. "You know even in this impaired state I can still scare it out of Temple, don't you?" He grinned evilly at her.<br>She sighed. "Fine, but you're not going to like it."  
>Becker raised an eyebrow and gave her a small, encouraging smile. "Go on."<p>

Jess huffed out a noisy breath and then babbled, trying to get it all out as quickly as possible, "He asked how long you and I had been dating. As if! He said I came up here every night for dinner and a film and that sounded like a date to him. And all the rest of the ARC are gossiping and I just didn't want to embarrass you any further so I decided not to visit you last night. I thought it was for the best, I know you don't want to be the subject of gossip -"  
>Becker cut her off mid-flow. "Jessica - hush," he commanded, his voice low but authoritative. She hushed but didn't look at him.<br>"How long have I been in here?" he asked her. She looked up at him then, curiously. What an odd question to ask. She knew the answer of course; 50 days, 9 hours, 25 minutes and approximately 45 seconds - her brain had been keeping tally since their first dinner together.  
>"Oh, I don't know, almost two months maybe," she told him vaguely.<br>He grinned at her. He knew she knew exactly how long it had been. He also knew that he knew exactly how long it had been too.  
>"So, tell Connor the answer is 50 days." he waited for her response.<br>"What?" she looked surprised, shocked and delighted all at once.  
>"Tell Connor we've been dating for 50 days," he repeated, with a huge smile.<br>"Really? You want -?" she couldn't finish, she was lost for words which made his smile even larger. Jess Parker lost for words - now there was a novelty.  
>"Yes, Jess," he confirmed enjoying her shock. "I'm very happy to have been dating you for 50 days."<br>"Oh right," she said completely bamboozled. She just stared at him.  
>He frowned slightly. "Am I to take it from your silence that you are not pleased with this scenario?" he teased gently.<br>"No, no, I'm very pleased, very pleased!" she gabbled. "It was just, you know, a shock, that's all."

They stared at each other for a long moment, unsure of what to do next.

"Well, I'd better get back to work," she stuttered and stood up to leave.  
>He nodded slowly and made no attempt to stop her. She let go of his hand slowly, her fingertips lingering on his tenderly. She made her way slowly to the door. He let her grip the door handle before he spoke.<br>"Jessica," his strong voice stopped her and she turned around to see him gazing keenly at her. "Will you have dinner with me tonight?"  
>She flashed him her brilliant smile, the one she saved only for him. "Yes, Captain Becker, I'd love to!"<br>She left with the biggest grin plastered over her face. A grin mirrored by Becker, who spent the rest of the afternoon planning the perfect 50th first date…

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed it - please review so I know! :-)<strong>


	15. Chapter 15 Preparation

**A/N Thanks for all the lovely reviews! I really appreciate your comments (sorry if I don't reply to them but please know that they are all read and loved!). Hope you like this chapter - the next chapter is the actual date. I'm taking suggestions for what cheesy romcom Jess could force him to watch this time! :-)**

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><p>Jess walked back to the Ops Room with a spring in her step. He'd asked her out, he'd finally done it, it was official! It felt like the entire ARC workforce was in Ops when she arrived. Matt and Emily were going through reports, Abby was bickering with Connor who was manning the ADD and techies were milling about everywhere, every desk and workstation was occupied. Even Lester ventured out of his office as he watched Jess approach. She had the strangest feeling they were all waiting for her.<p>

Her heels announced her arrival in the Hub, tapping loudly on the metal flooring. All the staff stopped what they were doing and turned towards her. Connor swivelled in her chair and stared at her expectantly. She saw Emily place her hand on Matt's arm and heard her draw in a breath and hold it. It was like realising you were a goldfish and everyone was tapping on your glass bowl.

She stopped, looked over her shoulder and smiled at Lester. He raised an eyebrow quizzically at her before turning back to his office so she couldn't see his grin. A grin that was gone almost before it materialized.

She walked slowly over to Matt, gave Emily a smile and then leaned up and placed a quick kiss on Matt's cheek. "Thank you," she told him as she watched him flush pink from his neck to the tips of his ears. Emily let out the breath she was holding and whispered to Jess, "I'm so pleased for you!"

Jess turned back to the expectant room, head held high. "Connor," she stated loudly and clearly. "The answer to your question is 50 days."

The Ops Room erupted in applause, Connor whooped and Abby rewarded him with a high-five before jogging over to Jess and enveloping her in a huge hug. "Yaay!" she declared, but quietly so it was only shared between the two girls. Jess hugged her back, then pulled away with a panicked look on her face.  
>"What is it?" asked Abby concerned.<br>"I've got a proper date tonight," Jess told Abby quietly. "He asked and everything!"  
>Abby grinned, delighted with Becker's progress.<br>"So what's the problem?" she wondered.  
>"The only change of clothes I have here are a t-shirt and jeans in my locker! I can't turn up to a proper date in that!" Jess's voice was rising as her panic increased.<br>"Come on!" commanded Abby as she pulled Jess forcefully towards the lift to the car park.  
>"Where are we going?" asked Jess, resisting but only half-heartedly.<br>"Yes, where on earth are you going?" demanded Lester who stood in his office doorway, looking annoyed as usual.  
>Abby flashed him a grin and threw a comment over her shoulder as they scuttled past.<br>"Emergency shopping trip! Won't be long!"  
>Lester harrumphed and muttered something about anyone doing any work around here anymore before retreating to his office and opening the whiskey.<p>

Becker had a good physiotherapy session that afternoon. The sooner he was mobile and able to take care of himself, the sooner he was home, the sooner he could spend time with Jess in a more comfortable environment. That thought excited him. He was looking forward to taking full advantage of their now "dating" status and as a result sailed through all his exercises and tests to check the function of his battered body. Battered, but still in relatively good shape he hoped.

Putting aside the objections he would normally have had, Becker accepted the assistance of the medical staff in order to shower and shave for what he wanted to be the most important night of his life so far. He grimaced at how corny that sounded but couldn't keep the grin from his face for long. He'd done it, she'd said yes and tonight was going to be brilliant!

The female medics fussed around him until he became excessively grumpy but he did manage a gruff "thank you" to them for sprucing up his room a little. He sighed when he saw the little "romantic" touches they had introduced but figured that Jess would like them and that was what mattered. Now all he could do was wait for her. The patience he usually had in abundance had abandoned him today. He paced and fretted until he his bare feet felt raw. Finally, Johnson dropped by, having been informed of his patient's discomfort. As he entered the room, Becker reminded him of a caged animal, especially when the soldier turned and growled at him as he opened the door. Johnson chuckled and held up a hand in surrender, the other hand was behind his back.  
>"Calm down Captain, its only me."<br>Becker ran his hand through his hair, impatience and irritability evident in that one short movement.  
>"Sit Becker," ordered Johnson, indicating the armchair by the bed - Jess's chair as Becker had now come to think of it. Reluctantly the soldier sighed and then sat.<p>

Johnson handed him the item he had held behind his back. A book. A thick, heavy book with teeny tiny writing. "Jess left this for you when you were still in ICU. Maybe this will keep you occupied until she arrives," the medic told him with a smile.  
>Becker took the book and nodded at Johnson. Both men had developed a grudging respect for each other, mostly thanks to Jess's efforts, and Becker would not have taken his advice otherwise.<br>Johnson returned Becker's nod and left, knowing the Captain would be calmed once he lost himself in that familiar book.  
>Becker closed his eyes and breathed in and out carefully. Then he turned to the first page and began reading.<p>

Meanwhile, in the locker room, a blonde zoologist and a woman from the past were fussing over a very nervous and jumpy field co-ordinator.  
>"Jess, keep still!" complained Abby. "You'll end up with lipgloss in your ear otherwise!"<br>Emily giggled and Jess went rigid but only for a second or two before she was up again, pacing backwards and forwards. She stopped just for a moment and turned to her two friends, presenting herself to them for their approval.  
>"So, what do you think?" she demanded, but there was a nervous tremor in her voice.<p>

She was wearing a soft green blouse, fitted into her figure, and cut low enough to make sure Becker would notice (but not so low that it gave everything away). This was complemented by a new dark green and purple extra-mini skirt, jauntily flared out at the hem and showing off as much of her slender legs as she thought Becker could handle. Finally she had chosen the highest pair of heeled shoes, in deepest purple, tied around her ankles with lavender ribbons. Her hair had been pulled up by Emily into a very sophisticated chignon with tendrils left loosely framing her face. Her make up, applied by Abby, was more subtle than she usually wore, with less heavy eyeliner and lipgloss instead of lipstick. Dark brown eyeshadow brought out the boldness of her blue eyes and rose pink blusher softly accented her cheekbones.

"Wow," breathed Abby, in admiration.  
>"You look beautiful!" agreed Emily. "Poor Becker," she added gleefully.<br>Jess smiled and hugged her two friends - carefully so as not to disturb their hard work. "Thanks girls, what would I do without you?"

Finally ready to face the Captain, she exited the locker room and headed up to the Medical Bay.

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><p><strong>AN OK so I've just realised that what Jess is wearing is very similar to the end of Series 4 Ep 4. Sorry, I only just noticed but I think my brain is a little obsessed with that episode (but only because that's when Becker takes his shirt off!) LOL. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it - don't forget to review and suggest cheesy romcoms for the next chapter please! :-)**


	16. Chapter 16 Disney

**A/N Thanks for the reviews - hope you like this chapter. Just a bit more torture for poor Becker (of the pleasurable kind of course!). Personally I think they should make a "Late Night Primeval" where the guys all have their tops off A LOT! ;-)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Primeval but if I did Becker would spend an entire episode shirtless in the rain (and this is England - you can count on the rain!) :P**

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><p>Jess knocked loudly and popped her head round the door to his room. She saw him sitting in the armchair at the side of his bed, his head down, engrossed in a book.<br>"Hey you," she said softly, but didn't venture any further into the room.  
>He looked up then. "Hey yourself," he returned with a smile.<br>"You're in my chair!" accused Jess, laughing, stepping into the room and placing the bags she had brought with her on the small side table nearest her.  
>"My apologies, ma'am," Becker saluted her smirking and stood up, slowly, pushing himself up with his hands on the armrests taking his weight so as not to put undue strain on his injury.<p>

She took his momentary distraction to rake her eyes over him. His feet were bare, his olive skin a contrast to the grey floor. She noticed, oddly pleased with him, that he had taken the trouble to change into clean pyjamas. The bottoms were black (she rolled her eyes), cotton and loosely fitting. They hung low on his hips and she swallowed as her eyes rested there for a moment on the waistband, lingering. Then she dragged them away to caress the rest of him. He was wearing a grey marl skinny t-shirt which clung to his muscles, showing that his month or so of enforced bed rest hadn't diminished his toning too much. She allowed herself a small, satisfied smile that was gone immediately as a loud thud echoed round the room. Her head snapped up to his meet eyes, her face guilty at having been caught looking.

But Becker's eyes were directed at the floor. Not at the book he had dropped from his trembling fingers, but at her shoes. He lifted them slowly, travelling up her smooth, slender legs, desperately searching for the hem of her skirt, only to draw in a very noisy breath when he got there, realising by the racing of his heart that it had not been such a good idea after all. Suddenly Jess moved in front of him, bobbing down to pick up the book he had dropped, her low cut blouse giving Becker an accidental but excellent view of the smooth, creamy flesh at the top of her breasts, framed by a delicately lacy pea green bra.

Becker gorged himself on the view for a second before groaning loudly and turning round to the bed behind him and bracing his forearms on his hands, fisted into the mattress. He sucked in two or three very heavy breaths as he tried to reduce the rate that his heart was banging against his ribs and prevent the giddy hot flow of blood to his groin. He closed his eyes and lowered his head, panting slowly.

Jess stood up with the book in her hands, having missed Becker's torture. She stared at him worriedly.  
>"Becker, are you ok?" she asked, concerned that he may have pulled his stitches.<br>"Yep!" Becker strangled on the word as he battled with his body. He paused and then felt able to turn round to face her. "Must have just stood up a little too quickly," he lied, with an attempt at a smile.  
>She narrowed her eyes at him but, once satisfied he hadn't done to much damage to himself, she turned to retrieve one of the bags she had brought with her.<br>"I brought Chinese!" she announced, delightedly and he smiled at her, genuinely this time, happy to have something to take his mind off the more inviting parts of her body.

As Jess sorted the food out onto plates and pulled an extra chair up to the table, Becker moved slowly about the room collecting the "romantic" items that had been left for him. Mostly there were candles placed strategically around the room which he lit carefully, bringing one of them to the table with him and placing it in the space between their two plates. Jess smiled in appreciation, then squealed in delight as he presented her with a big bar of Dairy Milk chocolate and a single red rose. He grinned at her pleasure and sank back down into the chair.

"So, what are we watching tonight?" Becker enquired through a mouthful of noodles.  
>"I'm saving that for later. I thought you could take me dancing first," Jess chuckled as his eyes widened and he swallowed his noodles prematurely.<br>"I'm hardly in a position to go dancing," he murmured, frowning.  
>"We'll see," Jess promised with a sparkle in her eye. "And then, since I've suffered through countless action movies, I've brought a nice romcom with me for later!"<br>Becker groaned and rolled his eyes melodramatically.  
>"Which you will watch without being grumpy, Captain," Jess ordered. "Or I will bring out the big guns!"<br>He raised an eyebrow curiously at her, smirking. "The big guns?"  
>"I'm not beneath resorting to a bit of Disney," she threatened, darkly.<br>He raised both hands, palms up, in surrender, leaning back in the armchair. "Ok, you win," he sighed, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. "Anything but Disney!"

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><p><strong>Becker and Disney? LOL. I've just watched Tangled with my little ones and it reminded me so much of Jecker that I just had to put it in there! :-D Please review - I look forward to your comments so much! :-)<strong>


	17. Chapter 17 Dancing

**Thanks for all your reviews - they are great and really help with the writing! Still need ideas for the romcom they're watching later (not up on current romcoms, I'm stuck in the 80s!).**

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><p>Once dinner was finished, Becker leaned back in his armchair, comfortably full, and watched Jess tidy the remnants of their meal back into the bag she had brought it all in. He swigged on his Pepsi Max, wishing fervently that it was a beer. Unfortunately, on his medication, alcohol was a strict no-no. Besides, his defences were down far enough as it was, he doubted he needed alcohol to lower his inhibitions further.<p>

Jess caught his eye with hers and set something small and black on the table, flashing him a grin.

"What?" Becker asked, worriedly. Then he saw it was her Ipod, set in a docking station. "Je-ess?"

She moved to stand in front of him and held out her hand.

"Dance with me?" she waited for his answer, fluttering her eyelashes and smiling as cutely as she could.

Becker couldn't help but chuckle and relent. He covered her hand with his and allowed her to help him stand, stiffening slightly as he felt his body touch hers when his legs wobbled.

She giggled and pulled him away from the chair to the middle of the room. The Ipod began its soft melody as Jess guided Becker's hands to her waist and held them there, encouraging him not to pull away. Once she was sure his hands would remain, she moved her tiny hands up his arms from the wrist to his shoulders, feeling him shudder as she did so. She smiled softly and began swaying in time to the music.

"_Angel, angel of soul_

_Wherever you may go_

_Mmm yeah_

_I'll follow_

_Wherever you may go"_

Becker marvelled at how large his hands looked around her waist. He could almost touch his fingertips across her back. He felt her trail her hands over the bare skin of his forearms and shuddered at her touch, his skin reacting in goosebumps. Her hands came to rest on his shoulders, their bodies still about a foot apart like pensioners at an old-fashioned dance, and then he felt her hips swaying under his fingers. She hadn't moved her feet, she just swayed then glanced up at him to encourage him to follow suit. He complied awkwardly, woodenly, his body stiff, his eyes looking at the wall over her head.

"_And always, will I be there_

_Shake worries from your hair_

_Mmmm yeah_

_I'll be there, always"_

He smiled and relaxed a little. This wasn't so bad. He risked a glance down at her and was met with her smiling face just a few short inches from his own. He looked away quickly, hiding from the thoughts forming in his head. Dammit, why did she have to be so bloody beautiful? She giggled at his reaction.

"Its ok Becker, you're doing fine," she reassured him quietly.

Fine? Of course he was doing fine! It dawned on him that he had relinquished all control over the situation to Jess. Something she seemed very pleased about and found reason to make fun of him. Well, the tables could be turned, couldn't they? He smiled to himself and lowered his face to graze her ear.

"So, Jessica," he murmured. "Is this a full service date?"

He lifted his head back up to full height as her head flew up and she stared at him with blue eyes widened by shock and something akin to fear. Enjoying her discomfort he twisted his mouth, unable to keep a straight face.

"I was just wondering if I could get a kiss on the cheek," he teased, innocently.

"Oh, oh right," stuttered Jess, unable to say anything else.

Becker leant down, proffering his cheek and tapped the spot where he wanted the kiss with his finger.

Jess swallowed, nodded and lifted herself up on her tiptoes in order to reach him. Their eyes held until he could feel her breath warm on his cheek and she was anticipating the tickle of his stubble against her lips. Then she shut her eyes as she closed the distance slowly, oh so slowly to his cheek. She missed the subtle movement of his head towards her.

Her eyes flew open again as she realised she had pressed her lips against his mouth, not his cheek. She tried to pull away, her cheeks burning, but Becker had moved his hands from her waist to cup her face and hold her lips against his. This time he moved towards her, putting a gentle pressure against her mouth and moving his lips over hers. His kiss was ever so gentle, barely even there, but his touch was enough to illicit a small cry of pleasure from her. He enjoyed the sound and kissed her again, feeling her response against him and trailing his fingertips from her face into her hair, releasing the chignon and allowing her reddish locks to fall over her shoulders. His other hand slid down to the small of her back and carefully steered her body towards his until they were just touching. Just.

That small contact was almost too much for him. He was in danger of losing what little of his self control remained. The giddy hot feeling returned and he pulled back suddenly, his arousal betrayed only by his noisy, panting breaths. He felt her staring at him, slightly confused.

"Its ok," he whispered. "Just need to stop -" he couldn't continue but she seemed to understand anyway.

She placed one hand gently to his face, holding his eyes with hers and smiling up at him to reassure him it was ok. He gazed down at her, his eyes dark, pupils dilated and almost lost himself again.

Jess stroked her thumb across his lips, slowly, provocatively, then stepped back.

"I'll put the film on, shall I?" she said lightly, grinning as she heard him groan and curse as he reached for her but his hands came away empty.

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><p><strong>So what did you think? Please let me know! I apologise for the line stolen directly from the film "The Bodyguard", but hey I think it worked! Hope you enjoyed it - don't forget to review if you did! :-)<strong>

**And the song is "Angel" by A-ha (because I love them too and this song always makes me think of Jecker).  
><strong>


	18. Chapter 18 Shakespeare

**A/N This chapter didn't turn out quite as well as I had hoped! Thanks to jnevadub232 for the Midsummer Night's Dream idea - I thought it was kind of cool to have Becker quote Demetrius (played by Ben Mansfield of course!). Anyway, I hope its ok and it sets the scene for the next chapter where there might just be a bit of Jecker shagging! Anyone know how far I can go with a T rating? :-)**

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><p>Becker pulled himself up onto the bed, staying on top of the blanket as Jess placed the DVD in the machine. He moved over to one side, so there was a small, empty space on his right side, the good side. He raised the back of the bed into the sitting position, readjusted the pillows and leaned back against them, waiting.<p>

She turned to him and he patted the space beside him, an open question on his face.

"Wait!" she told him suddenly and rummaged in her bag again. Grinning, she held up a large tub of popcorn. "Sweet, I'm afraid, I can't stand it salted!"

Becker returned her grin. "Sweet is fine, Jess."

She turned off the main light in the room and extinguished the candles. The only illumination was the glow of the TV as she hopped up on the bed beside him and rested the tub of popcorn on his knees. Her legs dangled over the edge of the bed and she leaned over to untie her shoes. Becker watched her with intense eyes, but as she pulled her legs up onto the bed he took a large handful of popcorn and stuffed it into his mouth. Jess chuckled, "You look just like Connor!" she told him.

Becker stopped munching for a moment and choked slightly before swallowing, not liking the idea of being compared to Connor. He held out his arm to her, indicating she should lean back against him and make herself comfortable. She snuggled against him and his arm draped protectively around her shoulders.

"So, what are we watching?" he asked quietly.

Jess pressed play and the film began.

Becker sat bolt upright and winced with a sharp pain caused by the sudden movement. "Jess, this is Shakespeare!" he exclaimed, his voice loud and outraged.

"Yes, Becker?" Jess queried innocently.

He turned towards her. "I thought we said it was a romcom, not bloody Shakespeare!"

"It's A Midsummer Night's Dream," Jess said as if Becker was supposed to understand what she meant. He stared at her uncomprehendingly and she sighed.

"It's the original romcom," she explained. "It has romance, awkward situations to be resolved and lots of comedy. Shakespeare wrote lots of excellent romantic comedies."

Becker continued to stare at her and she stared back, as if daring him to challenge her film choice further. By the time the opening credits ended, Becker backed down and resumed his position on the pillows. She snuggled back into him and he relaxed again as he felt her hand rest soothingly on his stomach.

Jess leant back against Becker, enjoying his arm around her shoulders. It made her feel safe and warm and protected. She found she liked that a lot. She placed her hand on his stomach and caressed his abs lazily, marvelling at how hard and defined they were. Talk about a six-pack, she thought closing her eyes and allowing her imagination to get the better of her, just for a moment. Becker wiggled suddenly, bringing her back to reality and she grinned, looking up at the uncomfortable expression on his face. Was he ticklish? Definitely information to be saved for another time….

Jess sat and watched the film intently, looking away only to snag herself another handful of popcorn. Becker spent the entire film watching Jess. He watched her chuckle at all the right moments, her eyes sparkling with merriment; he watched her sigh dreamily as the will-they, won't-they push and pull of the lovers romanced her; he watched her bite her bottom lip and her eyes tear up at what he assumed were the sad bits. He had no interest in Shakespeare, but he experienced the magic of the bard through Jess. He only watched the film when Jess, feeling his scrutiny, turned her head and looked at him. Then A Midsummer Night's Dream was the most interesting film in the universe.

She looked at him suddenly and for once he didn't look away. His hand moved up from her shoulder to the slant of her neck and he pulled her gently towards him. She moved to him willingly, her hand stroking up from his stomach to his chest, her fingers toying with the fabric of his shirt. He kissed her softly and under his palm he could feel her pulse fluttering as fast as a hummingbird's wings. For one brief, sweet moment he touched her lips with his tongue and deepened the kiss, tasting her. She hitched her knee up over his own and gripped the hem of his shirt, attempting to pull it up to expose the skin and muscle beneath. With a groan he pulled away again, his breath ragged, his heart thumping in his chest.

"No," he moaned quietly, closing his eyes to regain his equilibrium. When he looked at her again, her face was a mixture of disappointment and shame. He stroked a finger gently down her cheek and gazed intensely into her eyes. "Just not here," he whispered.

Jess nodded her understanding but the disappointment did not leave her face. Becker pulled her back against him and allowed her to put her hand underneath his shirt to stroke the taut muscles beneath. His body tingled with her touch and he decided he needed to distract himself. He scooped up a handful of popcorn and threw it at the TV. Jess sat up and stared at him, astonished.

Becker indicated the man on the screen wearing the donkey head.

"That guy is really annoying me," he stated, and threw more popcorn at him.

Jess smiled. "I didn't think you were watching the film," she teased.

"I wasn't," Becker confessed. "But that guy is difficult to ignore!"

Jess watched Bottom for a moment then murmured her agreement to Becker. He scooped up more popcorn and handed it to her. She looked at him questioningly before watching him throw another handful at the screen. Unable to prevent her giggle, she followed suit and heard his deep chuckle in response. It was a sound that sent a pleasurable shiver down her spine and she decided she would like to hear it more often.

With the disappointment of his sudden withdrawal now forgotten, she lay back down next to him, snuggling her face into his chest. She closed her eyes, comfortable and warm and began to drift off to sleep. Becker felt her body get heavy against his and gazed down at the top of her head.

"I always denied I needed this, Jess," he whispered, baring his soul, safe in the knowledge that she was asleep. "I denied I needed anyone, denied that I wanted to be loved, denied that I wished for love…" he huffed and shook his head at his own sentimentality. But, with his barriers still down, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and buried his face in her hair murmuring inaudibly,

"But, now I do wish for it, love it, long for it. And will for evermore be true to it."

It was the only line of Shakespeare he would ever remember…

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><p><strong>As I said, not as good as I had hoped. Please review anyway, if only to tell me never to quote Shakespeare again...!<strong>


	19. Chapter 19 The Day After

**A/N Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to review. I'm sorry I have not PM'd you all, but please know that you are all very loved! Hope you like this next chapter - I quite enjoyed writing Lester for a bit although I'm not sure I've got him quite right! Please let me know what you think! :-)**

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><p>Lester was concerned by the non-appearance of his Field Co-ordinator. She was usually the first in to work and often the last to leave. At 8.30am her chair was still conspicuously empty and by 9am she was at least an hour later than normal. Lester ventured from his office and bellowed across the Ops Room, crossing his arms in front of his chest.<p>

"Does anyone know if there will be any field co-ordinating today - or are the anomalies taking the day off?"

Some of the techs in the Ops Room sniggered and Connor poked his head up from behind the ADD where he had been fiddling with the wiring.

"She didn't come home last night, if that helps!" he chirped, raising his eyebrows suggestively at Lester.

Lester sighed loudly, uncrossed his arms and sauntered, suavely of course, out of Ops.

That was how Lester found them at 9.30 that morning. He stood in the doorway to Becker's hospital room taking in the scene disdainfully. Becker lay on his back, deep in sleep, his hair messed and flat down over his forehead, making him appear awfully young. The subject of Lester's search, said Field Co-ordinator, was snuggled into the soldier's side, her face nestled into his chest, one leg hitched up over his knees, her hand gently placed on his stomach but underneath the cloth of his t-shirt. The sight was so sweet that Lester debated leaving them - for all of half a split second - then, irritated, he coughed loudly.

Jess woke suddenly and almost fell off the bed when she realised what had woken her. She sat bolt upright, removed her leg and her hand, smoothed down her hair and clothes hurriedly and nudged Becker with her elbow.

"Morning sir," she said brightly, not phased Lester's glare. She had to nudge Becker again before he finally moved to rub his face sleepily.

"Morning beautiful," he murmured, without opening his eyes.

"Thank you for the compliment, Captain Becker, but I don't appreciate you keeping my staff from their duties until this hour of the morning," Lester stated dryly.

Becker's eyes flew open, eyebrows raised. "Um, sorry sir. What?" he looked at Jess a little confused, entangling his fingers with hers possessively.

"You're late for work, Parker!" announced Lester. "Perhaps you wouldn't mind putting the protection of the public above your love life for a few hours?"

Jess grinned at Becker. "Goodness, its worse than being picked up from the school disco by your dad!" she exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

Becker was unable to smother his chuckle and squeezed her hand appreciatively.

Lester looked unimpressed. "Put him down, Parker, you have work to do. Preferably before we have multiple anomalies and I have to man the ADD."

"Heaven forbid!" murmured Jess and hopped down off the bed, reluctantly pulling her hand from Becker's. She picked up her shoes from the floor and walked barefoot to Lester.

"Do I have time to shower and change first so I don't smell if the world ends?" She knew she was pushing her luck with her facetiousness but she was still on a high after last night's date.

Lester glared at her. "There's a change of clothes on the chair outside. You have 15 minutes."

"Thanks Dad," Jess giggled. She lifted herself on her tiptoes and placed a light kiss on Lester's cheek.

The bureaucrat squared his jaw and felt himself colouring to the tips of his ears.

"Yes, well, Miss Parker. That's quite enough of that, thank you." He muttered.

"Hey, where's mine?" demanded Becker, loudly.

Jess turned to him and virtually danced back across the room. She leaned up and planted a firm, sweet kiss to his lips, her hand stroking his face. Becker responded with his strong hand in her hair, twirling it round his fingers and holding her to him.

"Now, Miss Parker!" barked Lester and the two sprang apart. Jess darted back across the room and with a brief look back at Becker she was gone.

Lester regarded Becker for a long moment. "Well, it's about time, Captain," he commented, then he glanced down at the popcorn on the floor. "And judging by the mess, I think I'll recommend they send you home sometime today. Try to behave until then, would you?"

"Yes sir. Thank you sir," Becker tried to keep an impassive face but failed and ended up grinning like a loon.

Lester shook his head in disbelief and left the room hurriedly, barking orders at the medics as he strode down the corridor.

Jess arrived at her post 12 minutes and 53 seconds later. Lester watched her run across the Ops Room and seat herself in her chair, fingers flying across the ADD keyboard to initiate a diagnostic. He swivelled his chair round so he was not visible through the glass walls of his office and allowed himself a small, satisfied smile. Jessica Parker and Captain Becker were two of his favourite people, not that he would ever let them know that, and he was happy that they had finally sorted themselves out. Not that he condoned inter-office relationships but given the nature of the work these extraordinary people undertook, outside relationships were difficult, nigh impossible. It was hardly surprising that they turned to each other for comfort. Captain Becker was a good man and, even though he and Jess were about as opposite as two people could get, Lester had no doubt they would be good for each other. Sentimental moment over, he turned his chair back round to face the Ops Room and glared at Parker through the glass. She waved in return, grinning like a loon.

Becker was discharged from the medical bay that afternoon. He was dispatched with a medkit containing fresh bandages, painkillers and antibiotics and orders to allow Matt to drive him home. He wasn't happy about the last part but was assured by Johnson that he would not be discharged unless he met this condition. Becker sighed and reluctantly agreed. He stopped by Ops where he was to wait for Matt. There she was, in her over-large chair, her attention firmly concentrated on her screens. He watched her work, a small smile on his lips. She must have felt him watching her because she turned in her chair and met his eyes across the room. She smiled encouragingly at him and he took a step towards her.

"Ready to go, mate?" Matt appeared in front of Becker, breaking the spell. Becker blinked rapidly, taking in the man in front of him.

"Uh, yes, ready," he agreed, his eyes darting over Matt's shoulder seeking Jess again but she had turned back round to the ADD again.

Matt turned, following Becker's gaze and smirked. "You need to kiss her goodbye first?" he teased.

Becker glared at the team leader and bristled. "No, it's fine, mate. Lets get out of here."

Matt nodded, amused but picked up Becker's holdall containing his medkit and the other personal possessions he had collected from his hospital room. Carefully, Becker walked out of the Ops Room towards the lift and the car park.

Once in the lift, Becker's mood soured further. He knew it was irrational, to feel fear about walking across the underground car park, but that knowledge didn't prevent the fear from gripping him as the lift descended. He really didn't want to do this but, since there was no other way out of the ARC, he had no option. He was frowning when he had entered the lift and his frown had deepened into a scowl by the time the lift hit the bottom of the shaft and the doors opened. He hesitated momentarily.

Matt noticed Becker's silence, his frown and his hesitation and understood the reasons for it. He reached over and gripped the younger man's shoulder.

"You can do this, mate," he encouraged gently.

Becker squared his jaw, set his mouth into a tight line and looked at Matt with a steely determination in his hazel eyes. "Yes, Matt, I can," he said firmly and stepped out into the car park.

The trek across the concrete structure was arduous and painful. Becker stopped once to compose himself, his breathing hard and rapid, overwhelmed by voices and flashbacks, but Matt's firm hand on his shoulder was enough to strengthen his resolve and he made it to Matt's car without further incident.

"Nice one, mate," Matt murmured and Becker gave him a short nod in acknowledgement.

The drive to Becker's apartment began in silence, Becker still reeling from his near panic attack in the car park and Matt not wanting to intrude on Becker's introspection. Finally, however, Matt decided that the soldier had wallowed enough…

"So, how's it all going, mate?" he asked, his voice light and chatty.

Becker looked over at him, surprised, but willing to answer.

"Good, Matt, thanks. Medics say I'm healing well."

Matt smiled thinly. That wasn't what he had meant. He tried again. "And how's it going with Jess?"

Becker stiffened at the question and didn't reply.

Matt glanced at the soldier. "Can I infer from your silence that its not going well?"

"No, you can infer from my silence that its none of your business," stated Becker coldly.

"Actually, mate, it is my business," Matt told him, flatly. "As Team Leader, its my business to know anything that may affect the performance of the team."

"Pretty lame excuse, Matt," Becker sighed. "I don't think I've ever given cause for you to doubt my performance before."

"Uh-huh," confirmed Matt. "But you weren't in love before." Matt kept his eyes firmly on the road ahead, not wanting to look in Becker's direction.

Becker huffed, irritated. "So, as Head of Security, do I get to ask searching questions about the relationship between you and Emily? Just in case it compromises your performance?" he demanded.

Matt chuckled. "Stand down, Becker. I was only asking as a friend, honestly. Everyone is really pleased and I just wondered if you wanted to chat about it."

Becker remained in defensive mode. "I have no desire to discuss my relationship with Jess with you or anyone else for that matter." His voice was flat and unfriendly.

Matt smiled grimly, thinking Becker really ought to loosen up a little. Maybe a little more time with Jess would assist him in that department.

"Ok mate, understood," he told him and Becker stared out of the window, watching street after street flash past as Matt drove through London a little too fast.

They arrived at Becker's flat 30 minutes later. Matt carried the bags up to Becker's front door and inside the apartment. Becker had been quiet since Matt's questioning and didn't make any attempt to make conversation once inside his flat either. Matt placed the bags down and turned to leave. Then he stopped abruptly and turned back to Becker, who was stood in his living room looking a little lost.

"The answer to your question, Becker, is yes, as Head of Security you do have the right to ask searching questions about my relationship with Emily. The truth is, I could easily love her if I allow myself to do so. Maybe that will affect my performance, maybe my actions will be biased towards her safety on occasions but, in a relationship or not, my feelings would still be the same and my actions would still be the same. Unfortunately, its all part and parcel of being human." He stopped his speech, noticing that he had the Captain's full attention.

Becker inclined his head slightly and then sighed. "Its the same for me Matt, just so you know," he acknowledged.

Matt smiled, nodded and, with a comfortable camaraderie now restored, he left to return to the ARC, leaving Becker alone in his living room, wondering what the hell he was going to do to pass the time.

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><p><strong>Hope you liked it. Please review and tell me what you think. Lots more Jecker next chapter, getting a bit hot, hot, hot! ;-D<strong>


	20. Chapter 20 In Becker's Apartment 1

**A/N OK so this chapter kind of ran away with me a bit - so I'm going to write it in 2 parts before it gets way too long! Hope you like it - please review all you lovely people (and I thank you very much for taking the time to do so!).**

**Haven't written a disclaimer in a while so unfortunately I don't own Primeval or Becker (but he would never leave the bedroom if I did!) :D**

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><p>Jess sat at the ADD her mind really not on the job at hand. The computer didn't really need her to do much whilst running these diagnostics, they virtually ran themselves, so she had plenty of time to reflect on her situation with Becker. He had gone home today. She had seen him briefly before he left, but he hadn't ventured to the ADD to kiss her goodbye and she felt a little deflated. She knew why, of course she did, she knew Becker better than he knew himself. Matt had been there, Connor had been hanging around somewhere too and there was no way Becker was going to open himself up to their teasing and ridicule by kissing her in front of everybody. The only reason she'd got away with it in front of Lester this morning was because he was still pretty sleepy, defences down, and he had only been expecting a peck on the cheek. She had taken him by surprise, kissing his mouth, but it had been sweet and passionate and made better by Lester glaring behind her. She'd got a little kick out of the audience. She blushed slightly at the memory, wondering briefly if that meant she was a little bit pervy.<p>

"Thinking about Action Man again?" broke in a voice to her right. She jumped and came face to face with Connor.

"Someone's looking a little flushed!" commented Abby from the left side of her chair.

Help! She was trapped and by the looks on their faces there was a serious interrogation in the offing.

"So?" Abby nudged her, a wicked grin on her face. "How was last night?"

"She didn't come home!" cried Connor. "What do you think happened last night!"

"Really, Jess? You and Becker did?" Abby murmured, her meaning clear.

"Guys please!" protested Jess, holding up her hands in surrender, but she was laughing.

Her friends looked at her expectantly, their expressions mirroring each other, eyes wide, eyebrows raised, smiles playing around their lips.

"Last night was really lovely, but nothing like that happened," Jess confirmed and watched their faces fall and their eyes dull slightly in disappointment.

"Trust Becker to bottle it," muttered Connor.

Jess turned to face him. "Connor, he's recovering from major surgery. He's hardly in any sort of position to jump on me, you know!" she hissed.

"So what happened then?" asked Abby again. "You were late for work, you're never late for work!"

"I fell asleep," said Jess simply. "And I was comfortable, thank you very much."

"Ahhh," said Abby, knowingly. "So, not in the armchair then?" Connor sniggered and was silenced by a stern look from Jess.

"Ok, look, if I tell you exactly what happened, will you two go away?" asked Jess in exasperation.

Abby and Connor nodded and leaned in a little closer, like two small children waiting to hear the end of their bedtime story.

"Fine. We had dinner, we danced -" Connor raised an eyebrow and exchanged a grin with Abby. Jess sighed. " - we danced, watched a film and ate popcorn."

"That's it?" demanded Connor, pouting, clearly disappointed.

"And he kissed me," finished Jess, a little smugly if truth be told.

Behind her chair, Abby and Connor high-fived. "You owe me a tenner!" Abby told her boyfriend and Connor groaned loudly, rolling his eyes theatrically.

Jess shook her head. "You guys were betting on me?"

"Not on you," Abby reassured her. "On Becker - on whether he would finally find the courage to -" she trailed off and then grabbed Jess's arm, her eyes sparkling. "Was he any good?"

Jess blushed almost pillar box red. "Yes, he was, actually," she confirmed, lifting her chin and hoping she hadn't revealed too much. Becker would be angry if she was indiscreet.

She was beginning to feel a little claustrophobic, trapped in between her two friends with nowhere to run. She desperately wanted to end this conversation but had no idea how to.

"So," Abby began, "Are you going over to Becker's tonight?"

The question took Jess by surprise, although she should have been expecting it. But she hadn't really thought about whether she should venture to Becker's home. She had no idea how she would be received. He had seemed happy enough to have her around whilst in the Medical Bay, but this was his home. Would that make a difference?

"I - uh - I don't know. He never said I should, so I thought perhaps I should give him chance to get settled back in and maybe hang out with you guys tonight -" she trailed off, looking hopefully at Abby.

"Absolutely no way!" declared Abby, as Jess had known she would. "You are going over there tonight, you are going to look fabulous, and you are going to get the lovely Captain Becker into his bed!"

Jess blushed deeply again. "I don't think so Abby -" she began, stumbling. "I don't think I could do that!"

"Of course you can!" insisted Abby, a wicked glint in her crystal blue eyes. She pulled on Jess's arm, dragging her reluctantly out of her chair. "Come and have a coffee with me - you must be due a break by now!" She silenced Jess's protest. "And I will give you some invaluable advice…" Her tone of voice and suggestive expression allowed Jess to grasp her meaning exactly and Jess bit her lip nervously.

"Help!" she mouthed as she looked back at Connor by the ADD. He shrugged, then grinned and gave her a double thumbs up.

Matt and Emily had been watching the whole exchange from across the room.

"Poor Jess," commented Emily. "Abby is going to make her dissect every aspect of her encounters with Captain Becker."

Matt grinned at her and raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Encounters?"

Emily smiled. "You know I do feel both Becker and Jess would have found things so much easier in my time. There were rules to follow and everything was so much slower."

Matt turned to face her directly. "Are you saying you would like us to follow the rules, take things slower?"

Emily stroked his cheek gently and gazed into his eyes. "I said it was more suitable for Jess and Becker, not for me. I left there, remember?"

Matt's mouth twitched at the corners and he leaned over to chastely kiss her cheek.

"Do we think we can refrain from canoodling on company time?" demanded an angry voice from his office behind them. "Its getting more and more like a dating agency in here every day!"

Jess sat in her car outside Becker's apartment, thinking about Abby. Well, about what the older woman had told her, anyway. Even just thinking about it made the heat rise in her cheeks. But the more she thought about it, and the more she thought about it in conjunction with Becker, the more her whole body tingled with anticipation. She had butterflies literally eating their way through her stomach, her hands trembled, she felt little electric shocks dance from her nipples to her groin and she tensed her pelvic muscles involuntarily. But would she have the audacity to go through with it? Would she be bold enough? She had never been the instigator of anything sexual before - she didn't have enough experience for that! She laughed at herself nervously. Could she? Would she? She took a deep breath. Time to find out!

She stood outside his door, hesitant and chewing on her lip. Still trying to find her resolve, she raised her arm and banged loudly on the hard wooden door.

"Hang on!" Becker shouted and as soon as she heard his voice, she smiled and felt warmth and strength flood her whole body. Only he could make her feel so strong and comfortable and tingly all at the same time. Her smile had widened to a grin by the time he opened the door.

"Jess!" his tone was surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Her grin faltered slightly.

"I thought you might be bored already and need some company - but I don't have to stay if you don't want me to -" she knew she sounded over-cheery, but it was better than sounded mortified and needy.

To her relief, Becker smiled and stared at the brown paper bag she was holding. "Did you bring Chinese?"

"No, your diet is appalling enough already!" she told him firmly and smirked when his face fell. "I thought I might cook for you, if that's all right?"

Becker stepped away from the door. "You'd better come in then. Kitchen's through there, woman!" his tone was deliberately misogynistic and he laughed lightly as Jess pouted.

He closed the door behind her, catching a lung full of her perfume as she flitted past him, sending his mind reeling. She smelled delicious! Leaning against the hardwood door he watched her make her way in the direction he had indicated. He couldn't help but notice the very short skirt, red and pleated, and the way it hung over her hips and sashayed jauntily around her thighs as she walked. His eyes trailed down her legs, smooth and perfect and conspicuously bare, to her wonderfully, ridiculous shoes, in this instance baby blue to match her woollen, crocheted, short sleeved sweater with little pearl buttons down the front and a hemline that barely reached the top of her skirt. He inhaled sharply as it lifted to reveal the white skin of her mid-rift as she raised her arms to rest the food bag on the counter top.

Get a grip, Becker, get a grip, he chastised himself, clenching his fists until he could feel his very short nails digging into his palms. He breathing was unsteady and he wondered briefly if letting her in had been a good idea. Well, there was no going back now and he knew he didn't want to. But could he handle her? Hell, could he handle himself? She brought out something in him that, through years of military training and control, he had managed to suppress. She brought out the animal in him and he felt dangerously close to losing the control he always tried so hard to maintain.

Jess turned to smile at him, just as he regained his grip on the gentleman within, and he smiled back softly. He helped her make a Thai green curry, chopping ingredients and enquiring occasionally about her day at the ARC. Neither discussed the previous evening, he made no attempt to kiss her, nor did they touch each other save for the once or twice their fingers grazed as they passed ingredients to and from the pot on the hob. She giggled nervously and jerked her hand away when it happened, refusing to look at him. It was excruciating for both of them.

They ate their creation at either end of the island in the middle of the large kitchen, perched on stools. When the meal was finished, Jess moved to his end of the island and collected his bowl, placing it with her own. As she turned to take the dishes to the sink, he grabbed her wrist tightly causing her to drop the bowls with a clatter back onto the island and stare at him. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes never leaving hers, and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you for dinner," he whispered.

She smiled and he released her, the tension broken for a moment, and it was a much more relaxed Jess that made her way to the sink to wash the dishes.

Becker watched her and found he enjoyed the domesticity of Jessica Parker in his kitchen.

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading and I hope you liked it. I'm going to explore Becker's flat a bit in the next chapter (well, Jess is) so any ideas for what he might keep in it would be much appreciated!<strong>

**Thanks again for reading xxx**


	21. Chapter 21 In Becker's Apartment 2

**A/N Thanks for all your reviews and thanks to everyone who has added this story to your favourites / subscriptions. Please keep telling me what you think! Jess learns a bit more about Becker in this chapter. Its quite long (sorry) but I hope you enjoy it!**

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><p>Realising she was being watched, Jess turned around and regarded Becker for a long moment as she dried her hands with a tea towel. His hair was tousled, not his usual neat style, and he had a slight stubble on his chin. He was dressed in black jeans and a white button down shirt in a soft jersey fabric that stood out against his olive skin. The neckline was low enough for her to see the top of the dark hair that ran across the breadth of his chest, then arrowed down towards his navel and beyond. With his intense hazel eyes locked on her, he looked beautiful.<p>

She cleared her throat and looked down briefly to break the spell. She always looked away first, he seemed to have endless patience when staring at her. She looked up again quickly and swallowed as she realised he was still staring at her.

"So, are you going to show me the rest of your flat?" she asked, more purposefully than she had meant.

He smiled at her. "Of course. After you…" he gestured towards the living area with his arm. He placed his hand at the small of her back as she passed him, and let it remain there for most of the tour.

Becker lived in a loft apartment, a very large loft apartment, much larger than her own she realised. Situated in Docklands, over looking the river, it did cross her mind, just briefly, how he afforded such a large space in such a desirable area of London. But then, everything about Becker radiated wealth. Most of his past was a mystery to her, he had never been very forthcoming and there was very little even in the files, but the way he talked, his mannerisms, his conduct and his inability to express himself suggested a posh upbringing. But she was far too discreet to pry (ha!). She would just have to wait patiently (ha!) for him to tell her.

The first thing she noticed about the living space was that it was L-shaped, one part of it hidden from view as the walls of the bedroom and bathroom jutted out into the living area. The biggest feature at the kitchen end of the room were the bookcases. Rows and rows of bookcases along one wall, floor to ceiling, hundreds and hundreds of books. She ran her fingers along one long shelf, looking at the books, identifying their titles as if this would give her insight into the secret life of Becker. Lots of books about war (expected), lots of books about philosophy (not unexpected), antique books all leather bound and musty, and (surprisingly) the complete works of Shakespeare. But, most surprising of all, at the end of the shelf one book stood out from all the rest. She trailed a finger down the creased spine and looked up at him questioningly.

"Anna Karenina?" she asked softly, eyebrows raised.

His mouth twitched.

"It was a gift," he murmured, his eyes a little misty. "Seemed rude not to keep it." He smiled at her and she smiled back, absurdly pleased with him.

Dragging her eyes from him, she moved further into the flat, her heels clacking loudly on the solid wood floor. Gun cases dominated the middle part of the large apartment. Glass cabinets full of all different types of firearms, each meticulously documented and displayed to its full advantage. This she had been expecting but oddly, she noted, none of the guns were modern. Pistols from the 19th century, early 20th century rifles and, pride of place on the wall above, two 17th century muskets, complete with bayonets.

"Wow," she whispered, awed. "I thought guns needed to be kept locked away in case bad people broke in and stole them to do bad things with?"

He grinned at her and she blushed, knowing she had put her thoughts together very badly.

"All these have had the firing mechanisms removed. They're for display purposes only." He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "No bad things can be done with these weapons…"

Her breath hitched and she closed her eyes briefly, affected by his warm, soft lips against her ear. She struggled to compose herself and then looked directly up at him.

"But you have fully functioning guns somewhere?" she asked, pointedly.

He nodded, serious for a moment. "They are in a locked metal cabinet, as the law requires." he confirmed.

"How many?" she pried, frowning.

His mouth twitched before he answered in a low conspiratorial voice. "I have a very extensive licence," and he chuckled, a deep, masculine sound, at her incredulous face.

She pouted. "I suppose you have a tank in the car park too?"

Becker gave a short laugh and raised an eyebrow. "Hardly. Lester wouldn't let me have one, remember?"

She tossed her head in an attempt at nonchalance before moving away from the gun display towards the L-shaped part of the living room. This part of the flat was in darkness and as Jess moved closer she saw twinkling lights in the distance. As her eyes adjusted to the dark she became aware that this space was dual aspect and that both aspects were walls of glass. The twinkling lights were the lights of the city, dancing on the water of the river Thames below and reflecting on the full length glass windows. Wow, a river view, now that was posh. The square space of this part of the L-shaped room was also sunken and Jess, mesmerised by the view, stumbled on the step and was caught by Becker before she could fall. She looked at him then, his face close to hers.

"Its beautiful," she whispered.

"Yes, it is," Becker agreed softly, meaning something quite different.

He let go of her as soon as he was sure she had regained her footing and reached across to flick the light switch. The illumination was low, so as not to detract from the majesty of the city outside, but Jess was amazed by what it revealed.

In the centre of the space was a grand piano. It was large, beautifully waxed mahogany, the soft mood lighting giving the woodwork a gorgeous red glow.

She turned her big blue eyes on him, the light dancing in them, a big smile on her lips.

"Well, this is unexpected!" she announced.

He shrugged. "It helps me think, get things in perspective," he told her matter-of-factly.

"Oh, you mean it helps you to wallow," she nodded, understanding.

"No!" he protested, a little too quickly.

The lid of the grand piano was adorned with solid silver photograph frames, lots of them and Jess wandered over to peer at the pictures. Some were obviously his family; mum and dad (in military uniform), two sisters and one old, grainy picture which was perhaps of his grandparents. There was a photo of the ARC team, the old ARC: Lester, Jenny, Nick, Connor, Abby and Sarah. There was also a photograph of Becker, Danny, Connor and Abby. Jess wondered briefly why there was no photo of the current team. Perhaps this was something she could rectify? As she moved further round the piano, the photographs changed from sentimental to more military in nature. There was one of Becker and his classmates at Sandhurst (he looked so young!), one with a Special Forces team in a desert somewhere and one clearly taken in some Middle Eastern backwater.

"Iraq," he confirmed quietly behind her, his eyes far away, lost in the memory.

Some of the other faces she recognised. ARC soldiers, lots of them. She looked at him, already knowing the answer to her question.

"They're all dead," he told her, his voice flat and toneless.

She cupped his cheek with her hand. "And you don't come here to wallow?" she teased, softly.

Her touch drew his eyes to hers and back to the present, away from the horrors of war and death. His mouth curled up at the corners as she smiled at him.

"Maybe a little," he admitted, dragging himself out of the darkness.

"Do you play?" she asked him, dropping her hand and touching the piano again instead.

"Jessica," he said reproachfully. "It would hardly be fitting for me to have a grand piano in my living room if I didn't play, don't you think?"

"Al right, I'll re-phrase," Jess smirked. "Will you play?"

"Now?" he asked her, surprised.

She nodded. "Now."

He sighed and sat down on the stool and Jess sat next to him, primly smoothing her oh too short skirt down over her legs at which Becker glanced and sorely wished he hadn't..

"So, what shall I play?" he asked quickly, trying to distract himself from her legs.

"Whatever you like," she answered, oblivious to the fact that he was struggling to keep his eyes off her thighs.

Becker launched into something easily recognisable that any child could play.

"Chopsticks!" laughed Jess, shaking her head at the absurdity.

He grinned and changed, seamlessly, into Chopin's Nocturne Op. 27 #1. At first the music was sweet and soft and melancholy and Jess sat mesmerized by Becker's fingers gently teasing the melody from the ivory keys. Then his hands flew across the keyboard as the music became sweeping and grand and made her breath catch in her throat. Becker closed his eyes, lost in the melody, playing the entire piece from memory, ending as quietly as it had begun.

He stopped, his fingers still resting on the piano keys, his eyes still closed, his breathing hard and laboured. Jess recovered first, putting her hands to his cheeks and turning his face towards her. He opened his eyes then, allowing the passion the music inspired to stare out at her for just a moment. She pulled his head down to hers and pressed her mouth against his. He moaned softly as she teased his lips with her tongue, then he wrapped his hands around her waist and kissed her deeply, hotly, with an intensity that left them both gasping for air.

Jess pulled away and with a shaky laugh she stood, smoothing her skirt and hair nervously. He looked up at her, eyes dark and wanton, a confused frown creasing his brow. She moved around the piano stool, putting a barrier between them and he sighed and closed his eyes, searching for control. How is it she could do this to him? Leave him teetering on the brink of what he feared the most, a loss of control? Surely she must know what she was doing to him? Three deep breaths later, he had regained his composure and opened his eyes. She stood there, gazing at him, her face open and innocent, and inwardly he smiled. Of course she didn't know what she did to him! She had absolutely no idea! She was sweet and naïve and he just had to get a grip. He stood up and moved around the piano stool towards her.

"You ok?" he asked softly.

She nodded but he could tell she was still nervous.

"So," she managed in a squeaky, high voice. "What were you doing before I arrived?"

Hell, she needed a distraction. That kiss had almost been her undoing. If she hadn't have stood up when she did she would have been sprawled over his piano begging him to make love to her. Dammit, didn't the man know what he did to her? And didn't he know that she had absolutely no idea what to do about it? Well, that wasn't quite true - she had Abby's instructions. She was just too chicken…

"I'll show you, over here," Becker's quiet voice interrupted her thoughts.

With his hand gently placed at the small of her back, Becker led her to the over-sized brown leather sofa that sprawled lazily in the centre of the living space. On the small coffee table in front of it was a partially disassembled gun, a frayed cloth and a can of gun oil.

Jess gaped. "You were cleaning a gun?"

He shrugged. "Helps me relax," he told her.

"Will you teach me?" she queried.

"What?" his surprise was evident in his tone and the way his eyebrows shot up.

"Teach me how to clean a gun?" Jess asked carefully.

He regarded her for a long moment before assenting. "Very well."

He sat down on the sofa, his legs spread wide apart, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees, ready to reach for the gun on the table. He gestured for her to sit next to him and then leapt back in surprise as she stepped over his foot and settled herself on the floor in between his legs.

"Um…" he mumbled.

"Show me please," she looked behind her at his startled face and smiled.

"Ok," he managed. With Jess sat on her knees where she was it meant that for him to reach the gun he had to lean forward and encircle her with his arms. To be able to see what he was doing he virtually had to rest his chin on the top of her head. It was most disconcerting.

He huffed out a breath and leaned forward to grasp the gun. Jess sighed happily and leaned backwards, resting her head against his shoulder. Becker gently pressed a kiss to her hair and he re-assembled the gun in two quick motions. He then placed the heavy handgun back onto the table and proceeded to instruct Jess how to disassemble, clean and then re-assemble it. It was a slow process, Jess found the weapon cumbersome in her small hands but she diligently followed his instructions, muttered quietly in her ear, in between soft kisses to her hair and temple. He kept his head alongside hers, cheek to cheek, as she cleaned the gun to ensure all the mechanisms worked to optimum efficiency and then his long fingers showed her how to re-assemble the handgun. She moved her head slightly so she could look at him.

"How quickly can you do that?" she asked, curiously.

"Do what?" he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Disassemble and re-assemble the gun," she clarified, still looking at him.

He grinned. "Pretty fast actually."

"Go on then!" she challenged.

He picked up the gun, his fingers working as deftly as they had at the piano, and the weapon was taken apart and assembled in less than 10 seconds. He sat up straight, a self-satisfied grin on his face.

Jess leaned back, her elbows resting on his thighs, tipping her head back to look up at him, the top of her head touching his chest.

"Impressive," she smiled.

Becker leaned down and kissed her upside down mouth, making her giggle. Jess moved her arm slightly and accidentally caught Becker's side with her elbow. He winced and pulled back, unable to disguise the groan of pain that escaped him.

Jess twisted round on her knees until she was facing him.

"Becker?" she asked, but it was more of a statement than a question.

"I'm fine," he grumbled. "Just a twinge."

She frowned at him. "When did you last change your dressings?"

Becker didn't answer.

"Becker?" she pressed, her voice low but demanding.

He sighed. "They were changed by the medics before I left the ARC. But really, I'm fine!"

"They sent you home with a medkit right?" Jess asked him, standing up and for once towering over him as he slumped on the sofa.

He nodded in defeat. "Its in the bedroom," he admitted.

She held out her hand, which he took and allowed her to help him up onto his feet.

"Come on," she tugged his hand and led him towards his bedroom…

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading. Please review if you have the time. So, what will happen in Becker's bedroom? Will it need to be M rated? (Quite possibly!). Can't wait to try writing it lol :-) <strong>

**Oh and I'm told by my daughter that while all this lovey dovey stuff if great, I started this story with action and there should be some more...so, once we get the bedroom bit out of the way there will be more action stuff (he is Action Man after all!) - so please bear with me! :-)**


	22. Chapter 22 His Own Personal EMD

**A/N Ok have abridged this chapter so the story can return to a T rating (but also cos my daughter wanted to read it!). I will leave the original smut version as a stand alone with an M rating. Hope its ok, its quite a bit more fluffy than the original but can't help that. Hopefully the next chapter will be better lol. Please review and let me know that its not too terrible! :-)**

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><p>The bedroom was large, in keeping with the rest of the flat. But it had a much cosier, homely feel. Two of the walls were painted white, like the rest of the flat, and one wall was decorated in a dark blue wallpaper which made the room darker and smaller and much less formal as a result. The room was dominated by the large wooden-framed bed, with bedside tables either side, immaculately made with dark blue coverings and a book laid on one pillow. It may have been large enough for around six people but it was low and didn't look all that comfortable. Jess gave Becker a curious look and he shrugged, realising her question without her having to ask it.<p>

"When you've slept in some of the places I've slept in, you can no longer do soft and comfy," he told her flatly.

She smiled briefly and tugged on his hand leading him further into the room.

The last wall was fitted with wardrobes, white, simple, with no mirrors but large enough to hold even her extensive collection of clothes and shoes. Jess nearly squealed in delight and would have flung open the doors to look inside if she hadn't checked herself at the last minute.

By the window, which also overlooked the river, was a large green leather armchair which actually had an overlarge cushion in it - something she had decided, from her earlier observations, that Becker did not own. The leather on the chair was old and worn and she guessed, correctly, that it had probably been his father's.

There was carpet underfoot, soft cream, which, unlike the rest of the hardwood flooring in the flat, was sumptuous and soft and her heels sank deep into the pile. Jess could imagine laying in its thick softness, feeling its warmth between her toes and fingers.

She pulled him over towards the bed as she spied the holdall containing the medkit next to one of the bedside tables.

"Sit down and take your shirt off," she ordered as she bent to retrieve the holdall.

Becker sat on his bed and grinned at her back. She clearly hadn't realised the connotations of what she had said and it had been a long time since a woman had told him to take his shirt off so abruptly.

He began to unbutton it and then shrugged one arm out but had decidedly more trouble with the left arm. He needed to twist to remove the shirt from around his back and down his arm and that made him wince and hiss as his stitches pulled painfully.

Jess turned around and placed the holdall on the bed. She smiled as she watched his discomfort.

"Here, let me." she told him and climbed onto the bed, next to him. She reached up to pull the shirt off by the collar and her fingertips grazed his neck and collarbone as she did so.

Becker felt lightning zip through his veins at her touch; his heart pounded, his head became fuzzy and every muscle ached for her touch. Just like an EMD blast, he thought oddly, with a smile. He remembered how he felt that first time Matt had shot him with the EMD: the headache, the dizziness, the burning limbs and aching muscles. Yep, that's how it felt to be touched by Jessica Parker. She was his own personal EMD.

She looked at him as she realised he had become very still and noticed the odd smile on his face. But he didn't say anything, so she didn't pry. Instead, she picked up the medical scissors and began to cut through the bandages - cutting them was much easier that trying to unravel him. She removed the bandages and then the gauze dressing that covered his stitches. As it came away she tutted.

"You really need to take better care of yourself, Captain Becker," she chastised him gently, noting the red rawness of the wound that could have been prevented if he had just bothered to have the dressing changed more frequently.

He turned his head to the side and regarded her for a moment.

"Why, when I have you to take care of me?" he murmured softly, enjoying the blush that crept up her neck.

Dropping her eyes she cleaned his wound carefully, trying not to be aware of his shirtless appearance. Her fingers were less dexterous than usual as she struggled to keep her hands from shaking. _For heaven's sake, you're being ridiculous!_ she scolded herself and huffed slightly. Becker frowned, hearing her sigh, but she was too involved in her task to notice.

She removed another piece of gauze from the medkit and some more bandages, then contemplated how she was going to hold the gauze in place and wrap the bandages round him at the same time. She placed the gauze over the stitches then took his hand in hers. He looked round at her in surprise but she didn't look up. She moved his hand onto the gauze and pressed.

"Hold here, please," she instructed and Becker nodded.

Jess shuffled round on the bed to sit behind him, then began to wind the bandage around his torso to hold the dressing in place. Once she had done two complete rounds, she used the medical tape to stick the bandage in place.

"You can let go now," she told Becker and he complied immediately but dropped his arms.

She huffed and pushed his arms back up, her hands on his triceps.

"Keep your arms up or I can't finish this!" she complained.

Becker frowned but kept quiet, unsure as to why her mood had changed.

Jess finished the bandaging and taped it firmly in place. He sat there, arms in the air, for a moment before Jess giggled.

"You can put your arms down now," she told him, her mood a little lighter now he was half covered again, albeit by bandages. She packed the medkit away and then sat there staring at the back of his head. He moved slowly, rolling his shoulders as if he had cramp. She watched the play of his muscles under his skin and couldn't help herself.

Her hands moved to his shoulders, fingers kneading into the skin, her thumbs either side of his spine. Becker groaned loudly and she repeated the movement, digging her thumbs between his spine and his shoulder blades. Becker groaned again and tipped his head forwards slightly. Smiling, she moved her hands to his neck and rubbed her thumbs from the top of his spine to his hairline.

"Ah, Jess, that's good," muttered Becker, his voice deep and thick.

Jess giggled and pressed a kiss to his neck, just under his ear. She heard his breath catch in his throat and felt his whole body stiffen under her hands and decided to continue before she lost her nerve.

She danced kisses across his neck as she trailed her hands over his shoulders. She moved from behind him, to beside him, and where her hands led, her kisses followed. Becker was completely immobilized. His body refused to work. His arms remained stuck to his sides, his hands refused to reach out and push her away, as he knew they should. By the time she appeared in his line of vision, his breathing was loud and rapid, almost panting, but all he could do was eye her suspiciously.

"What are you doing?" he questioned softly and she grinned at him mischievously in response. This only heightened his anxiety - or was it excitement? _She wouldn't, would she? She couldn't, could she? She wasn't going to…? Oh my God!_

Jess wiggled herself onto his lap, her knees either side of his hips, her short red skirt showing far too much of her thighs. She stroked his face gently with her hands then pressed her mouth against his insistently, demandingly, sucking on his lower lip.

Becker lost all reason. His hands automatically found their way up her thighs to her waist as her hands moved around into the back of his hair and pulled, hard. He yelped, opening his mouth, and she took the opportunity to tease him with her tongue. She heard him growl at the back of his throat and felt his hands move across her body. She dragged her mouth from his and arched her back pressing herself against his hands. He grinned, then trailed one hand up the side of her neck, into her hair, bringing her head forwards to look at him. His hazel eyes, now dark with lust, met her wide blue eyes full of surprise and wanting. Her breath matched his, rapid and noisy, as he pulled her head back down to his and kissed her fervently, both hands now entwined in her hair.

He felt her fingers trail their way down his torso, across his abs, to fumble with his belt buckle. Coming to his senses, just for a second, he broke the kiss and caught her hands in his. His eyes searched hers questioningly. If she did this, there was no going back. Was she sure?

Her eyes held his, and she smiled, slow and languid. She pushed his hands away and continued her work on the buckle. She knew what she was doing, thank you very much!

He let her fingers unbuckle his belt and then the top button on his jeans. His breath caught in his throat as she continued down. She lifted her head and grinned at him, one eyebrow raised and he caught her silent communication: button fly, not zip! He grinned back at her, then gave into another groan as she continued to unbutton, her fingers every now and then coming into contact with the jersey fabric of his boxers. His desire for her was becoming more evident by the minute and he was almost sure she was brushing her fingers against him deliberately.

Once unbuttoned, she shifted off his lap and knelt on the floor between his legs. She glanced up at him. "Lift your bum," she ordered with a huge grin and blushed.

He raised an eyebrow high, but complied, one cheek at a time, as she yanked his jeans down to his knees. Becker discovered that he liked having her between his legs as he watched her tease his jeans over his feet intently. But he wasn't ready for what she did next.

She tickled her fingertips up the inside of his calves to his knees and followed her fingers with her tongue, eliciting a loud moan from Becker as her fingers and tongue burned his skin. She rested her head on his knee and grinned at him and he contemplated, just for a second, what he would do to her to wipe that grin of her face, before she tortured him some more by trailing feather light kisses up the inside of his thigh. Becker growled again as fireworks exploded across his body, his head went fuzzy and he had to lean back on his elbows to prevent himself from collapsing flat on his back on the bed. She stood over him now, not touching, just looking at him. He just had enough awareness to know she was watching him. Catching her off-guard, he sat back upright suddenly and pulled her back onto his lap. She squealed with surprise and delight, gripping his shoulders then sliding her hands gently down his ribcage.

She just sat there for a long moment staring at him. He stared back but then she smiled and raised her hands to unbutton her sweater. Becker enveloped her hands with his.

"My turn," he whispered hoarsely. She dropped her hands to her sides and allowed him to unbutton her.

Becker's fingers fumbled with the oh-too-tiny buttons. His fingernails were short and blunt and his fingertips too large to get a good grip on the delicate pearls. He roared in frustration and pulled the sweater apart, buttons flying across the room and clattering like frozen peas against the wardrobe doors, followed quickly by the garment itself.

Jess gasped in surprise and giggled.

"No giggling," muttered Becker trying to undo her skirt.

She assisted him, trying to keep a straight face and failing, until Becker brought her lips down to his for a searing kiss.

What followed was as deep and intense as either had ever imagined and better than any late night fantasy that either of them had ever had. They were both delighted by the unreserved pleasure of that moment, shining from her face and reflected in his.

They fell entangled onto the mattress, rolling towards Becker's right so as not to pull on his stitches and enjoyed a long, sweet kiss. They lay there kissing and stroking each other gently until the pounding of their hearts subsided.

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><p><strong>OK really the next chapter will be much better - I promise! :-)<strong>


	23. Chapter 23 Awakening

**A/N The morning after! Eeeeek! This chapter seems to have a lot of description and not a lot of action (sorry) and I'm not sure about the ending, but please let me know what you think! (Oh, there is lots of naked Becker though - yummy!).**

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far and added this story to your favourites - I love you all! xxx  
><strong>

**Disclaimer (haven't done one in a while): Don't own anything except my own naughty thoughts about a very naked Becker!) :D**

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><p>When Jess first woke up it was still dark. It took a moment for her to get her bearings but she soon realised that she was not in her own bed. And that she was naked. And that there was a strong, muscled arm resting across her waist, attached to a long, firm body in the bed beside her. And she blushed as she remembered how she had got there. Wow, it had been good! But then, she'd always known, from the moment she'd met him, that making love to Becker would be good! She smiled at herself. She trailed a finger gently down his forearm, teasing the soft hairs and liking how hard the muscles felt beneath her fingertips. She could feel his presence behind her but wiggled herself closer to him, needing that skin on skin contact. She spooned into him, feeling his chest on her back (and was a bit disappointed by the rough bandages, to be honest), feeling his hips, hard and angled, against her softness and entangling her legs with his, enjoying the feel of his shins against her smooth calves. Becker moved in his sleep, tightening his arms around her and murmuring softly, burying his face in her hair as she snuggled her head into his neck under his chin.<p>

Becker became aware of Jess as she snuggled closer to him. He felt every soft curve as it wiggled against him and his arms tensed around her and pulled her into him. He still couldn't quite believe what had happened. He had wanted her for so long and making love to her had been the most intense, passionate and emotional experience of his entire life. Way, way better than he ever could have imagined or fantasized. She was the most delightful, most passionate, sexiest woman he had ever met. She had surprised him at every moment and that had only heightened his pleasure. And now, here she was, asleep and content in his arms, feeling like she belonged there. And Becker was more than certain that she did belong there. Certain that he never wanted to let her go. That he would be quite happy to spend a lifetime waking up to the feel of her smooth softness against his muscles, his skin tingling and reacting to every contact. He needed a decent dose of EMD every day. He smiled, feeling her hair tease his chin as she buried her head under it and entangled her legs with his. Feeling her body relax against him as she drifted off back to sleep, he snuggled his face into her hair and kissed the top of her head. "I love you," he murmured, softly.

Jess opened her eyes and blinked slowly. Had she heard correctly? Did he? Had he? Could he have said? No, he couldn't have. He wouldn't have! She had imagined it. At best, she had dreamt it. Yes, that was it. She was still half asleep and had dreamt those words because she so longed to hear them. Satisfied with her explanation, Jess closed her eyes again, listened to Becker's soft, rhythmic breathing, and let sleep envelope her as securely as Becker's arms.

The second time Jess awoke, sunlight filtered in through the wooden blinds, glancing off the white walls and giving them a magical golden hue. She blinked a few times to get accustomed to the light and smiled as she felt Becker's arms still around her waist, although he must have shifted in his sleep as there was now a small space between them and their legs were no longer entwined. Taking advantage of this, Jess was able to carefully wriggle around until she was now facing him.

She took her time to admire him. The glow of the sun lightened the tips of his hair, now all mussed and flopped down over his forehead. His body, usually so tense and ready for action at a moment's notice when awake, was now relaxed and stilled by sleep. His face was unlined and smooth, free from worry or guilt.

_He is truly beautiful_, she mused and reached up with one hand to tenderly stroke his hair. It was warm, made so by his body heat that radiated from him, but it was also soft and fluffy beneath her fingertips. _Hmmm, beautiful, soft and fluffy Becker_, the thought was across her mind before she could stop it. She giggled.

"What are you giggling about?" his voice was low and deep and made her jump in surprise. His eyes were still closed but there was a ghost of a smile on his lips.

She smoothed her hand down from his hair to rest on his cheek and stroked his stubble gently.

"Just admiring the view," she murmured.

Becker opened his eyes then, his gorgeous hazel irises sparkling with amusement. He lifted the duvet slightly and dropped his gaze, enjoying what he saw.

"There's a much better view from over here," he chuckled.

She batted his arm softly with her hand and brought his eyes back up to hers. Becker let the duvet settle back over Jess and rubbed his hands ever so gently up her ribcage and back down to her waist again. She hummed appreciatively and smoothed the soft and fluffy ends of his hair over his forehead.

"You're absolutely perfect," she whispered with a smile.

He frowned at her and became tense and serious.

"I'm not perfect, Jess," he told her gruffly.

"You are to me," she responded happily and placed a light kiss to his lips.

Jess pulled away suddenly and sat up, in that oh-so-hyper way that was so Jess.

"And now I have to get ready for work!" she told him and swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

Becker stretched out one long arm and trailed his fingers lazily down her spine, smiling as her body responded to his touch. She glanced at him over her shoulder, smiled seductively at him, then stood up and sauntered over to his bathroom, hips swaying, soft, pink curves glowing in the sunlight. Becker growled and buried his face in the pillows, fisting his hands and punching the mattress in exasperation.

He lay there, listening to the sound of the shower, fighting the urge to join her. All too soon she was back in the bedroom, clad only in a towel, her skin glistening, and Becker needed to bite his lip to keep himself in check. Finding his composure, Becker stretched himself out languidly on his bed, his long limbs taking up much of the available space, and watched Jess as she scrabbled around the room, bobbing down occasionally when she found an item of clothing. When she picked up the remnants of her baby blue sweater from the carpet, she lifted her eyes to Becker and blushed. He chuckled, a low, deep rumble in his chest, making her blush harder. She pouted at him and flung open the doors to his wardrobe. He watched her rummaging through it, his curiosity mounting, until she pulled out a light blue shirt, neatly pressed, and tossed it over her shoulder. She closed the door and turned back towards him to be met by a raised eyebrow and an amused smirk. Feeling he was somehow getting one over on her, she dropped her towel and enjoyed the look of shock and want that replaced the smirk. She then proceeded to dress in front of him, watching discomfort and desire fight for control of his face.

Becker couldn't believe Jess had been so brazen! She dropped her towel right in front of him! Hell, she was beautiful and he feasted his eyes on her curves. She wiggled into her undies and slowly, oh so wonderfully slowly, covered her breasts with her lacy bra. Becker groaned and wished she would just put the damn shirt on before he finally lost what little remained of his legendary self-control and showed her who was boss right there on the sumptuous, cream carpet! He closed his eyes, unable to bear the torture any longer. She giggled, very pleased with herself and when he opened his eyes again, she was fully covered much to his relief and disappointment.

Partly because he had to get up anyway, and partly just to get his own back, Becker suddenly flung back the duvet and stood up, giving Jess a full close up view of his muscled, masculine body. The deep blush on her face was reward enough and he grinned as she averted her eyes.

"Touche," she whispered and nervously played with the buttons of his shirt that she was wearing.

Becker closed the distance between then, caught her chin in his finger and thumb and brought her eyes back to his. Her breath became ragged and noisy as she could feel the heat radiating from his body, his very naked body. Lowering his head, Becker kissed her lips enjoying her tremble as he did so.

She laughed shakily as he pulled away and winked.

"I'll make some coffee, shall I?" Jess stumbled over the words and escaped the room as quickly as she could.

Becker watched her leave, a self-satisfied smirk on his face, then headed to the bathroom relieved to be back in control.

A few minutes later he joined Jess in the kitchen and helped her make breakfast. Coffee and croissants with the most beautiful woman in the world - what more could a man ask for? He was staring at her and she wriggled uncomfortably under his gaze.

"What?" she demanded nervously.

"You look good in my shirt," he observed, his face impassive.

His eyes held hers captive until she flushed and looked away hurriedly.

"Well, I'd better go. I'll have to get home and change before I head in to the ARC."

He watched her gather her handbag, pop her feet into her shoes and then followed her to the front door. He opened it for her, still saying nothing, then pulled her to him for a deeply passionate kiss. He let her go and she stumbled out onto the landing. Stopping after a few steps, she looked at him, hope in her eyes.

"Shall I come back here after work?" she asked, a little uncertainly.

"Yes please," he told her softly, gazing at her intently.

"Ok, see you later then!" she singsonged happily as she turned towards the lift.

"Jess!" Becker called from the doorway. She turned back to him, her face luminous. "Bring a change of clothes with you." He raised his eyebrow and grinned.

She giggled and practically danced her way to the lift with Becker following every shimmy of her hips with glowing eyes.

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><p><strong>So, as I said, not sure about the end. Reviews would be lovely! :D<strong>


	24. Chapter 24 In The End

**A/N Well its about time I finished this fic. Its been well over a year since I started it! This was how this fic was always intended to finish - before I got carried away with all the "dates"! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it - just make sure you have tissues and chocolate handy cos you're going to need them! :D**

**This chapter is dedicated to Cengiz xxx  
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><p>Jess sat at the ADD daydreaming about Becker. She never dared believe that things could have turned out this way. Not even during that moment in the lift when he had held her hand and allowed her to hope had she even considered that a little over one month later she would have spent the night in his arms. She smiled and a soft flush crept over her face. And what a wonderful night it had been! Wonderful, magical even. Her skin warmed as she remembered Becker's hands upon it, his lips, his tongue. Her flush deepened and she sighed with pleasure.<p>

"Boo!"

Jess screamed and jumped as Abby's loud voice broke into her reverie. Breathing hard and trying to collect herself, Jess glared at her friend.

"Abby!" she scolded. "You scared the heck out of me!"

"Sorry," said Abby, smiling and not looking the least bit sorry. "Good night, last night, was it?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

Jess froze, eyes wide for a moment, and then tried to recover.

"I don't know what you mean," she asserted, adjusting her seat at the ADD in an attempt at nonchalance.

"Oh, I think that you do," purred Abby, leaning closer. "How was the patient?"

"He was fine, thank you for asking. I'll let him know you were concerned." replied Jess, not looking at Abby.

"Jess Parker!" admonished Abby, loudly, then she dropped her voice to a hissing whisper. "I know you two did it last night. Now spill!"

Jess became flustered by the blonde girl's directness and knew she would not be able to get out of this conversation without saying something. She hoped Becker wouldn't be too angry with her. She turned to Abby, her face glowing red, her eyes shining with happiness.

"Yes, okay, we did," she muttered, then paused.

"And?" pressed Abby.

Jess looked at her blankly. "And what?"

Abby laughed. "How was it?"

Jess giggled and batted her eyelashes coyly.

"It was simply perfect," she murmured and Abby squealed with delight and hugged her friend.

"I'm so pleased for you!" she whispered fiercely into Jess's ear.

Jess smiled, a little smugly to be honest, and returned the hug. Then she pushed Abby away.

"Can I get some work done now please?" she asked with a grin.

"Of course!" Abby started to saunter across the Ops Room back to the Menagerie. Then Jess's voice stopped her and she turend.

"Abby, please don't -" Jess stopped, leaving her request unasked. But Abby understood.

"Okay, okay, I won't tell Connor," she promised with a roll of her eyes. "Not yet, anyway," she muttered as she walked away again and continued out of Ops.

Jess turned back to the ADD, smiling dreamily, wondering what Becker was up to.

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><p>Becker was bored. He hated medical leave. It was the one thing guaranteed to drive him stir crazy. He was a man of action - he had trouble sitting around doing nothing "strenuous" (whatever that meant!). So far, he had made the bed, his hands gently caressing the pillow where Jess's head had lain as she slept. He'd had coffee and breakfast and washed up. He'd tidied his flat, he'd even vacuumed, although he was not sure if the ARC medics would class that as "strenuous activity". He'd even sat on his sofa and thought and thought about Jess for a long time; the feel of her softness under his hands, her mouth, her lips, her curves. It had caused his heart to race and he was sure that was the most strenuous activity he had done all day. His chest had ached briefly after that and he had felt short of breath. But that was hardly surprising so he wasn't worried by it.<p>

So, now he was bored. What to do? What to do? Then he grinned and unzipped the bag he had brought home from the ARC. He retrieved his earpiece and, setting it to "privacy mode" so they couldn't hear him, he settled down to eavesdrop on the ARC communications system. If he couldn't be there, he would at least be able to keep up to date with events.

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><p>The ADD alarm blared, red lights flashed and Jess clicked across the Ops Room to her seat at the Hub, quickly and efficiently gathering the relevant information to relay to the Team.<p>

"Matt. We have an anomaly. Co-ordinates are being sent to you now. Looks like its in the middle of wasteland down near the docks. No reports of a creature incursion as yet. But there's no CCTV so you'll be heading in blind."

Jess felt the familiar pang of fear and anguish that she always felt when she couldn't see to direct the team. She was now relying on the team as much as they were relying on her. And she hated it.

Matt, Emily, Abby and Connor were already in the lead SUV, with a contingent of soldiers behind them.

"Got it, Jess. We'll try to keep you informed over Comms," reassured Matt, his confident voice calming Jess somewhat.

As they approached the anomaly site, Emily relaying information back to Jess, describing the lay of the land, the position of the anomaly and the lack of visible incursion. Matt directed the team, ordering the soldiers to fan out and establish a perimeter around the site, keeping their eyes open for any indications of an incurison.

"Connor, lock the anomaly. Abby, Emily, you're with me," he ordered and the three of them set out across the wasteland north of the anomaly as Connor set up the Locking Device in front of it.

After thirty minutes of searching and satisfied that a creature incursion had been avoided, the three headed back towards Connor, with Matt giving Jess a situation report on the way.

The unmistakeable sound of EMD fire interrupted the communication.

"What the -" exclaimed Matt, breaking into a run towards the source of the sound, with Abby and Emily following close behind. "Whose firing? Repeat - who the hell is firing?" he demanded.

A calm, low voice answered, a tinge of satisfaction in its tone. "That would be me."

Matt winced as Jess screeched into his earpiece.

"Becker! What are you doing there? That's against the medics orders and you know it! You're supposed to be at home recuperating!" She could almost hear Becker grinning and rolling his eyes at her.

"I got bored," came the confident reply.

"Becker," Matt's tone was annoyed. "Seriously, mate. You shouldn't be here!"

"Doesn't anyone want to know what I was shooting at?" asked Becker, but Jess cut into the communication once more.

"Becker, get yourself back home. That's an order, direct from Lester! Or, better yet, get your arse back to the ARC so I can personally kill you!" Matt sniggered but everyone could hear her voice was frantic with worry.

Becker would have liked to have comforted her. Going back to the ARC to allay her fears by enveloping her in his arms was very appealing right then. Instead, he smirked as Matt came into view and ignored her.

"It was a Smilodon, by the way. He's stalking us in the scrubland over there." He pointed off to his left, wincing slightly as his chest pulled tight and his breathing became laboured. But it was only for a moment and no-one else noticed.

Matt barked orders to the security team, relaying the Smilodon's position and the soldiers moved in to form a perimeter around the creature.

Jess sat at the ADD, blind and helpless, biting her lip. There had been shouting and confusion, mixed with EMD fire, heightening her anxiety before the creature was finally subdued. Now the team was co-ordinating sending the Smilodon home and locking the anomaly and Jess was able to relax a little, feeling her heartbeat returning to normal. Thinking the danger had passed, Jess turned her attention to collating the information gathered by the ADD during the mission.

Screams suddenly erupted through her earpiece, almost making Jess shriek herself.

"Man down! Man down! Medics! We need medics!"

Jess tapped her earpiece frantically. "Matt? What's going on? Matt?" she cried, desperately.

Matt's voice sounded in her ear, making her even more terrified. His tone, usually so lacking in emotion, was panicked and fearful.

"Jess! Send the medics now. We have a man down - a man down -," his voice tailed off.

"Already on route," confirmed Jess, before asking: "Which man? Matt, which man?"

But there was no reply and Jess had a hard time keeping her growing fear from becoming outright panic.

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><p>The ARC exploded with activity as the two black SUVs entered the compound with a screech of tyres. Jess sat at the Hub, patiently, nervously, waiting for the Team's return, waiting for Becker. Lester had already disappeared to Medical, stony faced, as he always did when one of his staff was injured in the field. He always took it personally even though there was very little he could actually do to prevent it.<p>

After was seemed to Jess like several million years later but was, in reality, only about thirty minutes, Emily ventured into the Ops Room alone. Jess greeted her with a large smile before registering that something was wrong; very, very wrong.

"Jess -" Emily's voice cracked with emotion and Jess ran forward to comfort her friend. She took the Victorian woman in her embrace, thinking she had never seen her so broken. Oh no! Jess stared into Emily's red-rimmed eyes.

"The man down -" she stuttered. "It wasn't Matt, surely?" Her voice trembled as Emily gripped her but shook her brown curls sharply.

"Oh Jess -" she whispered and gazed forlornly at the younger girl.

Fear suddenly stabbed Jess in the stomach, a sharp pain almost consuming her whole abdomen. She swallowed, her throat constricted, as the silent communication passed between the two women. Her legs buckled and Emily tightened her support around her friend.

"Not Becker!" Jess gasped.

Emily nodded, pulling Jess against her, squeezing her hard, almost crushing her. "I'm so sorry, Jess," she whispered hoarsely.

At first Jess failed to register what Emily was trying to tell her.

"But he's in Medical, right? He's going to be okay?" Jess blurted out, without thinking.

A tear traversed Emily's cheek from eyelash to chin as she slowly, carefully, shook her head.

Jess's strength gave way and Emily was unable to prevent her from sagging and sinking to the floor of the Ops Room.

"No. He can't. No. No." Jess looked up beseechingly at Emily but her friend's solemn sad face told her everything. He wasn't going to be okay. He hadn't made it. He was gone.

That final word galvanised Jess into action and, before Emily could restrain her, she was up and running and she didn't stop running until she reached the Medical Bay.

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><p>She collided with Matt and he trapped her in his arms. She fought him in vain, pummelling his chest feebly with her fists.<p>

"Tell me it's not true, Matt! It can't be!" she cried. "How could you let this happen?"

"I'm so sorry, Jess, so very sorry. There was nothing I could do." His soft, Irish lilt drifted into her hair, confirming her worst fears. All the fight dissipated from her body and she hung limply in his arms.

"What happened?" she whispered. Did she really want to know?

"You need to talk to the medic," said Matt, quietly, motioning the young man over.

Jess turned her tear-stained face to the man, her eyes accusing him of not performing his duties adequately.

"Captain Becker suffered a blood clot on his lung -" began the medic. Jess was barely listening, her brain just couldn't cope with the reality just then. She caught words and phrases such as "no creature attack injuries" and "no EMD burns" and "swift and relatively painless" but it all hardly registered with her. The medic ended by touching her arm gently and murmuring, "I'm truly sorry for your loss, Miss Parker," before moving away again.

Jess stood motionless for many minutes, not even realising the medic had stopped talking. Finally, her brain landed back in reality with a thud. She grabbed Matt's arm forcefully.

"Wait! No creature injuries? A blood clot? Matt, I don't understand what happened!"

Matt stroked her face tenderly and gazed into her eyes. When he spoke it was as gently and carefully as one would speak to a very small child.

"It was the gunshot, Jess. It caused a blood clot that has been slowing moving around his body. The medics didn't pick up on it while he was here. No-one knew it was there." He paused, trying to ascertain if she understood. "Where he was out in the field today, the adrenaline pumped the clot faster through his body until it reached his lung. By then, there was nothing anyone could do for him. He collapsed as his lungs filled with blood -"

"Matt!" He was cut off by Emily's sharp voice from the doorway.

Matt winced as he watched Jess's face turn an odd shade of green at his words. She closed her eyes, breathing shallowly and quickly, trying to assimilate this information without vomiting. She succeeded with effort and felt able to open her eyes again.

"May I see him, please?" she whispered, her voice barely audible even in the silence of the mostly deserted corridor.

Matt nodded and moved forward to open the door for her.

Swallowing hard, not wanting to enter the room but somehow unable not to, Jess stumbled forward, feeling the door close behind her. The room was gloomy and quiet and after taking a few moments to adjust her eyes to the dark, Jess made out two figures standing beside a hospital cot. Abby and Connor, tear stained and dishevelled in appearance. Abby moved towards her.

"We didn't want to leave him alone until you got here," she said softly by way of explanation.

But to Jess, no explanation was necessary. They had been Becker's friends long before she had known him. Giving her swift hugs as they passed her, Abby and Connor exited the room, leaving Jess alone with him. With Becker.

He lay very still - oh so still - on the cot, the evidence of resuscitation attempts still scattered around him. Jess walked slowly towards the man, the man she loved, each step closer feeling heavier than the one before. She stopped as her thighs touched the cold metal of the cot and without thinking she extended her arm to clasp his hand in hers. She gasped. She hadn't expected him to feel so soft. Nor still so warm. Her fingers caressed his hand, his arm, as she gazed at his peaceful face.

His features were slack, relaxed, barely any visible lines at all. His eyes were closed, long dark lashes splayed across his too white cheeks. He could have simply been sleeping, except that he was not.

Feeling her knees giving way, Jess sank into a chair beside the bed and rested her head atop his chest. She lay there a while just listening to her own breathing, her own heartbeat, before realising there was nothing accompanying it. No rise and fall of his chest, no snuffle and hum of his breath, no comforting thud-dud of his heartbeat alongside hers.

Unable to bear that quiet emptiness any longer, she raised her head and stroked his face tenderly instead. To think the happiest moment and the saddest moment in her life were now irrevocably linked to the same man. No, the same men, plural. Had it not been for Ethan, she doubted whether Becker would ever have been able to make good on his promise in the lift such a short time before. And she couldn't regret the wonderful time they had spent together, however brief. Nor their magical last night - was it really only last night? But, were it not for Ethan, she would not be sat here wondering how in hell she was going to carry on without this man, without Becker. Without the only man she knew she would ever truly love.

She scrunched up her eyes and let the tears fall, still stroking his face. She leant over and pressed a soft kiss to his brow, running her hand through his lovely hair and murmuring tenderly against his cooling skin.

"Thank you for letting me in. I love you. I love you."

She stood. She didn't want to leave him but she needed a minute to prevent herself from dissolving into a puddle of hot tears on the cold metal floor. Turning, she headed for the exit.

Becker watched Jess from across the room. He saw her tender ministrations, felt his heart break with her tears, and repeated her quiet confession:

"I love you. I love you."

He reached out to her as she moved towards him, wanting to comfort her.

Instead, she walked right through him, the door behind him opening and closing as she left the room. He sighed sadly. That was it then. It was time to go…

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><p><strong>AN So there it is...thank you for reading! I'm going to drown in a large rum and coke now! :D**

******Thank you to everyone for reading this fic. It was my first and so will always be special to me. Thank you muchly to all those who have reviewed this story over the last year. I read each review with a big smile and am glad you have enjoyed it. Special thanks must go to SandyLeePotts, Cengiz, Prawn Crackers, Mijo54, SabreDae and Phoebenpiper - love you guys! xxx **

**YHLH  
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**xxx  
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